


Anarchy Lifestyle

by Hardman5509



Category: Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cheating, F/F, Long-Term Relationship(s), Married Couple, Married Life, Slice of Life, Yuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-21
Updated: 2016-09-17
Packaged: 2018-02-26 12:23:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 39,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2651951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hardman5509/pseuds/Hardman5509
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Following the end of Daten City, the angels and demons adjust to their new lives as humans with their new families.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nodding Your Socks In The Morning

The early morning sun awoken the sleeping household's residents.

Kneesocks got up first. Always the early riser. She quietly got out of bed, as not to awaken her wife next to her. She walked over to the adjoining bathroom to disrobe and take her usual early morning shower. While waiting for the water to warm up, she considered what she would eat today. Once she stepped in and started to wash her body down, Kneesocks decided to make eggs for breakfast. They hadn't had that in a while. A Caesar salad during her lunch break at work, and perhaps burgers for dinner? After drying out all the water in her angel blue hair, she looked at the clock and noticed it was time for Stocking to get out bed.

Stocking actually awoke before Kneesocks, but remained there to relax in the cool bed before she needed to actually get up. All it took was a little shake from her wife to get her out, but she did slink out of bed eventually with a smile on her face. She didn't proceed towards the bathroom, rather across the hall to awaken the third resident while Kneesocks went down to prepare today's breakfast.

Anklet always slept in. To make matters worse for the seven-year old straight A student, she became a rock during sleep, and it would take something equal to or more than her parent's patented prodding. As Kneesocks got out the ingredients and cooking utensils for making eggs, Stocking rolled Anklet back and forth in the bed covers, making a nephilim fall roll.

"Mmph!" Anklet muffled inside of the roll. As she was awake now, Stocking freed her daughter by unrolling her. The red skinned kid pushed the covers away as her birth-mother sat on the bed.

"Ah, you're up!" Stocking spoke while ruffling her daughter's purple hair. "Come on. Get dressed and head downstairs. Kneesocks is making eggs."

"Poached please…" Anklet sighed as she got out of bed, mumbling to herself. Stocking patted her on the back before exiting the room to get dressed. Anklet considered going back to bed, but the thought of the major math exam startled her fully-awake. She leapt into her closet and pulled out the second hanging uniform out of the five copies. It didn't take long for her to get changed and dash down the stairs with her backpack ready and full.

"Oh, right." Stocking snapped her fingers as Anklet leapt from the stone steps into her chair. "Kneesocks, today is Anky's math exam, right?"

"I'll add more eggs." Kneesocks nodded as she did more.

"Thanks." Anklet groaned as she adjusted in her seat to be comfortable before looking straight into her mother's awaiting eyes. "I don't need to be quizzed."

"Hmm?" Stocking mumbled.

"I'm fine!" Anklet worryingly replied back. "I got everything down! 5 times 5 is 25 and all that…" She trailed off, obviously forgetting her multiplication tables. Kneesocks shook her head. Of course, it was hard to teach a child math when neither parents weren't born on the mortal plane and never attended a normal Earth school.

"You got time to study." Stocking retrieved the math book from the kitchen counter and slid it across the table to Anklet's end, which the child gazed on annoyance. "That's your appetizer until Kneesocks gets your eggs ready." Anklet cracked open the book and started to whisper under her breath the multiplications of six over and over.

"Hey, Stocking-hime, you got off today, right?" Asked Kneesocks as she removed the eggs from the simmering water and onto the awaiting pieces of toast.

"Yah." Stocking got up and took the meal back to the table. "It's my one day off for all of November. But I guess you need me to do something." She sighed as she dug into her scrambled eggs.

"Sorry." Kneesocks came over with her own toast slices and kissed Stocking on the cheek before sitting down. "But I need you to pick up a couple of things. Our dry-cleaning and a package at the post office meant for our sisters."

"Why can't my lazy sister get the thing herself?" Stocking pointed out.

"Because I ordered it as a present for their anniversary." After Kneesocks said that, she looked over to see Stocking stopped eating for a split second to look at Kneesocks for confirmation. "You forgot again, I see."

"Mommy?" Anklet quizzed. "You forgot?"

Stocking groaned. "Yes. I'm cornered, I might as well come out and say it. I completely forgot about it…" She trailed off, much like her own daughter. Kneesocks decided to ask Stocking about it later, as it wasn't a pleasant table conservation subject. "I'll make them a cake, how's about that? I just got a recipe for cayenne cupcakes…"

"Sounds nasty." Anklet stuck her tongue out in visible disgust.

"Pfft." Kneesocks shifted from business mode to her much more pleasant mode. "I'm sorry, but which little missy asked for vegetable cake for her birthdays?"

"Hey!" Ankelt proclaimed. "I happened to like vegetable cake! Beetroots work well in cake!"

Stocking sighed. "You disappoint me son…" She then corrected her obvious mistake. "…daughter."

Anklet took a second to react. She built up the scrunched up face, let her eyes go misty before letting the watergates open. "MY PARENTS DON'T WANT ME!"

So began a normal day in the Anarchy household.


	2. Waking Up Under The Bed

It would take more than the piercing beams of sunlight to awaken the small mansion.

For Panty, it would take a alarm clock that played whatever the heavy metal station played at seven in the morning. She would grumble some random curse before lazily smacking the snooze button down to silence it. Believe it or not, but the last alarm clock got broken when Panty had smashed the snooze button too hard too many times that it crushed the innards of the clock. They did manage to buy a reinforced one that was designed for such a person. Regardless, it got Panty up and moving.

Scanty would also wake up via the hoarse throated music, but unlike her wife, she would stretch and get up with a pleasant smile on her face. The demon would then do her morning-exercises before awakening her daughter of ten years and then going downstairs to make breakfast for the family. Panty would take the bathroom for about twenty minutes to fresh up for her job, so it gave Scanty plenty of time.

Gee could be awoken by the simplest of noises. As a baby, she would suddenly wake up and start to cry if anybody opened the door like any normal person would. While her growth made her sleeping easier, Scanty did make sure to make her daughter's awakening easier by opening the door slowly; just enough to slip in through the crack, tip-toeing through the room of scattered toys, and lightly kissing the forehead of Gee. Her daughter's eyes slowly opened up.

"Good morning, sunshine." Scanty greeted Gee with a smile. The little girl moved into her mother's awaiting arms. "What did you dream of?"

"Sticking a spear up Mr. Shiner's rear." Gee honestly replied. "He did give us that pop quiz last week."

"Oh honey." Scanty giggled before carrying her daughter out of bed. "He's not that bad. He can be rather funny at PTA meetings."

"His jokes are terrible." Gee stuck her tongue out in protest. Scanty replied not with words, but rather by holding Gee upside down and shaking her like a old-cartoon robber. "I give! I give!" Gee protested. Scanty laughed out loud and tossed Gee back onto the bed. The girl bounced back and ran into her closet and shut down the door behind her. "I'll be down in five!" She announced from the behind the door.

Scanty got up and moved downstairs to their small kitchen. She could hear the shower turn on as Panty finally started her beauty bath. Recalling a random comment Panty made last night while talking with Gee about fashion tips, Scanty got out some pancake mix to make some delicious buttermilk pancakes to get everyone's day started. While Panty did watch her weight, she would forgo all of that for a stack of pancakes with some raspberries on top.

Within five minutes, Gee came down in her school uniform. Scanty put on a warm smile, recalling the day when her daughter got accepted into the Academy For The People Of Tomorrow. That uniform fit her all so well. That white ribbon tie on her chest didn't come with it, but it was allowed. It was a gift from Panty (As she didn't do enough for Gee's education already, she did after all pay half of the scholarship.) As Gee sat down, she tied a huge napkin around her neck to prevent her nicely cleaned outfit from being ruined so soon.

Another five minutes after that, Panty, dressed in her best business suit, descended the stairs while attaching her diamond tears earrings on. While her initial expression looked grouchy, it changed when the smell of warm pancakes entered her nostrils. "Perfect way to start the day." She said as she sat down. "Good morning, Girlie." She addressed Gee.

"Morning!" Gee happily replied back as Scanty placed their plates down. However, there were only two plates, with Scanty sitting down with a yogurt and a spoon. "You're not hungry, mother?"

"Not really." Scanty said after having a spoonful of light cherry yogurt. "I'm just trying to watch my own weight."

"Then you could…mmph…" Panty said during a mouthful of pancakes. "…you could join me in the gym during breakfast. My Platinum membership allows for three others to use the card." Panty motioned with her fork, stuffed with a stack of pancake slices, oozing with syrup.

"Physical exercise isn't always my thing." Scanty waved it off. "I'll just slow you down."

"Eh, you wouldn't." Panty passed it off. "But even if you did, I got some major work today."

"Oh right." Scanty huffed out after she remembered what was happening today at Panty's magazine. "You're finally buying out Volcano & Blizzard."

"Yep." Panty spoke after downing another huge bite. Was she late for the buy-out and didn't want to tell anyone? "Melinda held out for so long, but her paper is…" Panty looked over to Gee and thought of a different word. "…bad. Really bad." Scanty nodded in response. The first and only time the family bought the magazine that focused on summer and winter apparel for all ages and genders was when Scanty was shopping for winter clothes for Gee, and they promptly threw the magazine into a open fireplace.

"Hope it goes well for you." Scanty complimented.

"It's a done deal." Panty continued to finish off her stack. "But Melinda will try to float on, and try to make it a filibuster." After she downed the last bite, she patted her mouth down with her napkin before kissing Scanty on the cheek. "Thank god for you and your cooking. I should be done and be home a little after lunch."

"I won't be here though." Scanty replied with a full-on lip contact kiss. "Rehearsal won't be off until six." Scanty then looked over to Gee. "Sorry, kid. But you get to ride with her." Scanty pointed to Panty, who grumbled. Panty already gained four tickets during Gee's lifetime, and she improved only very little. Gee gulped at the aspect of getting home via road race.

Before Panty could say anything in objection, a horn blared just outside the building. With a nod to her parents, Gee grabbed her bag and went outside to her bus. The rest of breakfast went by fast and quietly, as Panty cleaned the plates (Something she didn't do often) and headed out to work, and Scanty cleaned up the rest and went upstairs to continued to clean up.

But you see…the deal with Volcano & Blizzard already went down a few days ago. Melinda had long since caved in and gave Panty's magazine, Special Gal, her models and unique line-up before packing her bags. The deal was going to be made public today, as today would be the fifth anniversary of SG, making the buyout all the more sentimental for Panty.

Panty's real appointment took place not in a huge building that greatly towered over the rest, but rather in a dinky motel just outside the city. And waiting for her was a former Olympic swimmer, having been stopped in his three golden medal streak by a nasty cramp. But he still got it. Panty bought the most remote room and went around back to meet the swimmer. He got naked first, revealing his majestic package. Wetting her lips, Panty undressed, putting on quite a show. The swimmer was in for the best day of his life, and Panty had about eight hours to do what she wanted.

She also pushed aside the thought that, in this very same motel, is where Panty and Scanty had their first sexual encounter as a couple, and not enemies…and where Gee was conceived inside Scanty…


	3. Sisters Will Talk

Things were going well so far. Sure, chores sidetracked her day off, but it gave Stocking a chance to try some delicacies away from her usual comfort zone. Cornfield Café made a mean cornbread cake, for example. The dry cleaners returned the clothes along with a coupon for half off for the next time they used this particular store. And the post office wasn’t crowded, allowing for a quick in-and-out for that package Kneesocks needed to be delivered to her sister’s tenth wedding anniversary.

As Stocking waited in traffic, she examined the box. Medium-size. Didn’t make noises when moved around. Stocking held an ear up to it. No noises. She had to put down as soon as the light turned green, but it gave her a chance to wonder about the contents as she continued to her sister’s home. Stocking recalled a co-worker mention that a traditional 10th wedding anniversary gift is usually something made out of tin or aluminum, or perhaps diamond jewelry. So not a clock. (Why would Kneesocks send her a sister a clock anyway?) Probably not something edible. Maybe a book? Perhaps clothes?

Well, Panty was home, given by how the huge and pink See Through Two was weirdly parked in the driveway. After parking in the same driveway, she went up to the front door and rang the bell. It took two minutes before Panty opened the door. Panty was dressed in her executive outfit, but the tie was off and the suit wrinkled. 

“Oh.” Panty sighed with a bored-as-hell face on. “Just you.”

“Just me.” Stocking huffed. “I got a package for Scanty, from Kneesocks.” As soon as those words left her mouth, Panty’s eyes lit up and snatched the package out of Stocking’s hands and went further inside, leaving Stocking on the porch with the door open. Groaning to herself, Stocking went inside, closed the door behind her. She followed the sound of ripping cardboard into the kitchen, where she found Panty digging into the package and removing a Styrofoam box. As Stocking sat down, she continued to watch Panty open up Scanty’s gift.

“Nice ~” Panty commented. The gift was a crystal necklace. A silver, thin band and a single crystal ‘sun’; the core was a solid obsidian gem and surrounding it were several clear crystals and around those crystals were larger and more ornate clear crystals. “ ‘bout time, too!”

“I see why Kneesocks had me deliver it personally.” Stocking commented. 

“That, and the fact that I paid for it myself.” Panty revealed with a sly smile. “It helps having a sister-in-law with contacts.”

“…you used Kneesocks’ job to get a bloody necklace?”

“A special, very expensive necklace. Would have taken a year to get, but Kneesocks knows how important anniversaries are…unlike you.” Panty pointed out. Stocking let out a hoarse laugh as she looked to the wall of photos. Stocking did have to give credit to Panty. She did spend a lot of time with her daughter. The photos described the entire family’s history. From the marriage, (Out of wedlock, as evident by Scanty’s four months pregnant belly. Only immediate family members and some friends attended.) to the birth of Gee, (The first time when Stocking saw her sister honestly smile.) all the way until the day Gee got accepted into the Academy (Including a picture of Gee and Anklet’s first playdate.) and onwards until tomorrow. (Which had a accidental shot of the Rubber Ball Of Doom incident.) All in all, a happy collection.

“You can’t tell Scanty about this.” Panty warned, as she gently put the necklace back into the box. “Kneesocks and I both agree this is my present.”

“All right.” Stocking shrugged. 

“Be right back.” Panty said as she pointed upstairs with the box in hand. “Feel free to steal something from the fridge. Just don’t take the chocolate pudding!” And with a chuckle to herself, she raced upstairs. Stocking knew better. Chocolate pudding was Gee’s favorite desert, originally recommended by the chocolate-lover Stocking herself on her fourth birthday. 

Looking at the photos again out of boredom, Stocking began to compare to her family. Panty knocked up Scanty (Something best left unsaid to people outside of family.) and once the pregnancy was confirmed, the two had a quick marriage. During that time, Stocking and Kneesocks were already friends (Having been forced to work together to pay damages at a coffee shop) and began to look deeper into their connection together. It took them two years to properly develop the relationship they wanted and got married in a real marriage.

Of course, demons aren’t allowed in churches, and Stocking objected to having the ceremony in the graveyard. So they settled for having the marriage in the park across the street from the church.

Anklet didn’t come around for another year. Stocking and Kneesocks did decide they would have a child of their own, but first, they needed to get settled. Kneesocks ran for Assistant District Attorney (A job she continued to hold today, which does explain how Panty got the necklace so fast.) Stocking worked on getting her own sweet shop opened, and they spent most of their free time looking for a house in a nice neighborhood to raise their child in. Once Kneesocks got the job and the Black Lace were open and running, Stocking started to carry Anklet.

But something brought Stocking out of her nostalgia. A…rather odd scent that used to hang around the old church-house back in the day where it was angel sisters vs. daemon sisters. After all the years she spent with the clean, orderly Kneesocks and being around the baking of sweets, her nose cringed in disgust. Not a smell she wanted to revisit.

The smell of men used by Panty.

Stocking gritted her teeth. How dare she? Panty promised, as SOON as she was confirmed to be the ‘father’ of Scanty’s baby, that she will abstain from men and remain true to Scanty once they took the plunge. How long has this been going on? The last year? A couple of years? BEFORE THE FUCKING MARRIAGE?

But when she could hear Panty coming down, Stocking forced on a neutral face. She had no evidence about this, as far as she knew, Panty could naturally smell like that, or came into contact with a old friend. Besides, Stocking and Kneesocks usually came over once a week so Anklet and Gee could play together, and this was the first time Stocking smelled this. So either this affair started recently, or Panty got sloppy and didn’t clean up this time.

“Guess you aren’t hungry.” Panty realized after a quick scan.

“Nope.” Stocking said. “So, we still on for Saturday?”

“Depends on if Gee can pass a quiz. If not, it’s Saturday school.” Panty sighed. “And Scanty may not be around. Final stages of the play.”

“The Tragedy of Othello, right?” Stocking piped in.

“Yah, that one.” Panty opened the fridge and got out a soda. She spoke before popping and slurping. “Man, Shakespeare is cutting into my time with my wife.”

“…didn’t you…”

“Welllookatthetime!” Panty looked at her empty wrist. “You gots to go!” Panty immediately put down her soda and started to shove Stocking to the door. “I need to…clean up and stuff! Besides, I know this is your day off! Go enjoy doing your little thing! Bye!” Stocking groaned and willing left the house with Panty slamming the door behind her.

Stocking pondered over the smell as she jumped back into her car and head back into town for more sweet shopping. But the thought of Panty’s potential cheating stirred Stocking something deep inside. She needed to find answers. She needed to dig.

But first, a little treat to calm her nerves.


	4. Garden Bodies, Will Gardeners

The weekend came faster then expected for the two families. Gee managed to pass her test with some help from Anklet, and thus Anklet got to dictate how Saturday would go. Overlord Anklet wanted to spend the day in the park for the Spring Carnival, and so the two families went out in sandals and shorts. 

“Anky.” Gee asked, using her special nickname for her cousin. “Can we go on the merry-go-round together?” She pointed to the circling platform. As Anklet was mature enough to carry around her own money, the only thing she needed was her parent’s permission to go off on the ride. A nod from both Stocking and Kneesocks was enough, and the two children were riding on the magnificent ebony unicorn. Panty and Scanty had gone off to get some facial paint.

“They never change, huh?” Stocking commented as the two other parents came back from the tent, hand in hand. Panty had two pink stars around her eyes while Scanty went ahead and got a blue phoenix across her face. “…didn’t they…”

“For Gee’s fifth birthday?” Kneesocks nodded in response. “Yes. Of course, you can’t get bum tattoos in a kid-friendly public party…” 

“No matter how much money you pay them.” Panty smirked as she and her wife walked up. “Gee with Anklet?”

“On the merry-go-round.” Stocking pointed over. “And after that, they’re going on some other rides. We got about fifteen minutes to ourselves.” She shrugged. “So…”

“We could go to those woods…” Panty smiled as she pointed over to said forest behind her, with Scanty giggling. The other couple just scoffed and rolled their eyes. Now it was Panty’s turn to giggle. “All right, all right. No hook-up. But then what? This isn’t exactly our kind of fun.” Kneesocks looked away, the closest thing she would get to admit the truth. 

“Hey, there’s plenty of sweets.” Stocking pointed over to the stand that sold banana sundaes. “But that isn’t really your thing.” 

“Not really.” Panty coughed after finishing replying. “Sorry, a little allergy. But then again.” Panty shrugged. “Cold things are supposedly good for dealing with allergies. Coming?”

“No thanks.” Scanty looked over to a different stand, this one being about frozen yogurt. “Diet and all.”

“I’ll join you.” Kneesocks dug into her purse and got out some money. “Been meaning to try that.” The two couples split off, and they went off in their own directions. While Panty and Stocking’s little adventure at the sundae stand would lead nowhere and offer nothing to the story, and as well as the fact we focused on them last time, the demon sisters shall be this chapter’s focus.

“Been a while since we last talked alone.” Scanty pointed to her sister with her spoonful of yogurt. “I think it was…”

“Two months ago, when you first auditioned Othello.” Kneesocks reminded her. She shrugged with slight amusement on her face. “That’s the second time I recalled something exactly.”

“You always had a good memory.” Scanty tapped her sister on the shoulder. “Like how you could quote the rule book by edition.”

“As much as I miss those days…” Kneesocks sighed. “…actually…I really don’t miss those days.” She put down her spoon. “Given how much Stocking and Anklet really matter to me now, I have a lot of guilt about my early days. Sure!” Kneesocks looked over to Scanty with a rather funny glare. “I did become Assistant D.A. and I do have a hand in making rules for this town…”

“Woah. I just realized we no longer roll the r’s when we say rules.”

“Yikes.”

The two sisters finished their yogurt with quick bites. This resulted in a minor brain freeze that left the two glued in their seats as they waited for the frost to melt away. While Kneesocks was used to dealing with headaches and leaned her head with one arm, (Court cases usually ended with heavy drinking. Mandatory drinking.) Scanty laid her head down on the counter.

“Bad idea.” Kneesocks groaned.

“No.” Scanty replied.

It took a minute before the two could talk with pain. Kneesocks asked, “Tell me. Scanty. The play. How’s it going?”

“Good, good.” Scanty huffed out as she stood up and started to wave her hands around. “I am glad I have found this napkin:  This was her first remembrance from the Moor…” She acted out picking up an ordinary napkin and handing it to Iago, in this case Kneesocks. Of course, Kneesocks had read through Othello, she had no intention of breaking up any marriage nor spend the rest of her life being tortured. Then again, she had no intention of being referred to as ‘ensign’.

“I see you got Emilia down.” Kneesocks said with applause. “But did your Cassio…”

“No!” Scanty started to get into a fit of laughter. “No no no…” Kneesocks held in her laughter. Not because she had a reputation to uphold, but much more because Kneesocks rather not liked completely bawling out in the middle of the public. But the thought that the small man that played the gentleman soldier hadn’t improved since the first day…whoo boy. Hopefully

“Now, my turn.” Scanty pointed several times in Kneesocks’s direction. “How many crooks have you put away in the past couple of months?”

“Not that many, not that important.” Kneesock spoke, waving her spoon around like a baton. “About the greatest law-breaker I got a successful verdict was The Great Dine-n-Dasher…”

“Oh him!” Scanty slammed down on the counter. “I forgot to tell you this!”

“You actually ran into him before?” Kneesocks asked, amazed. “Any extra evidence could made my conviction easier!”

“Whoopsie.” Scanty shrugged. “Anyway, so me, Panty and Gee were celebrating a recent deal Panty made it with her magazine. Chocolate sundaes at the ice cream parlor on Seventh Street! So, after Gee moaned about eating her second triple-scoop sundae, I noticed a man in a flashy jumpsuit…”

“Black with a yellow-lightning bolt down the side?”

“…actually? Red with blue flames all .”

“Dang it. Anyway, continue.”

“Okay. He went up to the counter and ordered the most expensive thing on the menu. Kristoff’s Mountain, a meal meant for an entire family. Four scoops of four different flavors, four bananas, covered in chocolate syrup, and four cherries on top. He claimed he was a gourmet who could finish the fifty dollar dish in under five minutes.”

“Fits with the evidence presented.” Kneesocks commented. “Claimed he could eat a expensive meal in under a certain time limit.” She shook her head, wondering how the man could run so fast after eating so much and still remain so thin. While the man’s past was never bought up during the trial, it did make her wonder if the Dine-n-Dasher was a gourmet who used to take restaurant challenges until the glory got into his head. “Continue.”

“So a crowd gathered the man as he dug into the mountain of ice cream.” Scanty recalled. “The thing is, he wasn’t going fast at all. By the five-minute mark, he barely reached halfway. It took him…” She drummed a finger against her chin. “…about twelve minutes before he finished it. When the staff looked the other way for a single second, he jolted out of the building!”

“That fits…”

“Also, Gee swore, so she got sent to bed early.”

“Fits as well.”

The two sat in silence for a bit.

“So.” Scanty tapped her fingers together. “Stocking holding up?”

“Yeah.” Kneesocks replied. “And Panty?”

“Fine, fine.” Scanty sounded a bit uneasy. “I do think she’s hiding something…”

Kneesocks decided to not let this slide. “Do you think she’s cheating on you?”

“No.” Scanty shook her head. “She’s gone past that. I’m the only love in her life. The thing is…” Scanty leaned over to whisper in Kneesock’s ear. “…I think she might be planning something big.”

“And that made you feel uneasy?” Kneesocks asked.

“…I’m a little nervous.” Scanty shrugged.

Kneesocks took a minute to think. It really made her reflect on the past. Years ago, Panty would have gone around town completely naked, Stocking would pushed aside everything for a single sweetroll, and Scanty would have exploded from the simplest problem. The only person who didn’t change over the decade was Kneesocks, but even then, she’s no longer a agent of hell and she no longer followed the law of the Rules. Nowadays, Panty seemed to stay true to her marriage, Stocking acted as sweet as her favorite kind of food, and Scanty did a 180 into a reserved, loving mother.

Being depowered, permanently kicked out of heaven and hell, and finding kinship with your former enemies would do that to you.


	5. Leap Of Faith(less)

Stocking bit her lip.

So far, this looked bad for Panty. Even more so for Scanty and Gee.

Once things quieted down again, Stocking decided to look into Panty’s affairs to see if that smell she picked up nearly two weeks ago when she delivered the necklace. Her investigation lead her around the town; talking to the people who would have interacted with Panty during the workdays. The employees at her magazine, Special Gal, giggled at Stocking’s prospect that Panty remained true to her marriage. The chiefs at the restaurant Panty frequented told Stocking about how her sister would sit in the corner and lustfully gaze at the men coming and going. And much to Stocking’s surprise, Panty’s current rival, Samara Lawson, admitted that Panty had felt up some of her male models.

She tried to find something good, or at least a good reason for Panty. Perhaps…a brain tumor? One of Stocking’s regulars happened to be a brain surgeon who often talked about his job. He brought up a story about a major sex-offender who had nine counts of rape (Stocking groaned and put up a face of frustration. Her sweet store is a family store.) but after a surgery to remove the grey lump, he turned into a monk who shivered whenever he heard something relating to sex or the human antimony. Panty changed from a sex fiend to a successful businesswoman with a family thanks to spending time with said family. A tumor could have her revert to her old personality. It could work. They were no longer angels, so they were vulnerable to mortal diseases.

As for something good, maybe Panty was secretly planning on a surprise party. The anniversary was coming up in three weeks, around the same time the Othello play was going to perform. Perhaps this was all a one large practical joke! Panty’s humorous side had come out more profound in the recent years, so yeah. All this supposedly illegal-affairs just could be apart of some long-winded joke!

Stocking had come close to breaking and just admitting that Panty was having a affair.

“What’s wrong, Mom?” Stocking looked down to see her young daughter in a soaked raincoat. Stocking blinked a few times before silently asking Anklet with a stern expression. “Oh, I tried to play outside, but it’s raining too hard.”

“Really now.” Stocking growled a little, frustrated that her daughter once more broke one of the golden rules. “Didn’t I say something about playing out in the rain?”

“There were a family of ducks out there!” She spread her arms out to mimic the bird’s wingspan, before noticing her mom’s deadpan look. “…yes mom. I shouldn’t be out there.”

“Well then.” Stocking placed her hands on her knees before getting up. “I guess the only thing I can really do is to feed you. It is around lunchtime.” She went over to the cabinet over the stove. “Double noodle, or tomato?”

“Both?”

“Not this time.” Stocking smirked. “Double noodle…”

“Tomato.” Anklet murmured. Stocking retrieved the can and prepared a pot. “Mom?” Anklet then asked as Stocking put some spices into the boiling pot. “What were you thinking about?”

“Nothing important.” Stocking filled in.

“It seems to be important.” Anklet commented as she set a place for her and for Stocking at the table. “You…said something.” Stocking stopped short, wondering if in her constant storming over the problem she ended up saying something damming under her breath. “…something about Auntie…”

“Oh.” Stocking groaned, before realizing there was a chance to dodge a bullet. “Oh! Oh yeah! You know, Gee’s parent’s wedding anniversary is coming up, and I’m wondering what kind of cake I could make them!” She turned her head to side to let out a breath of relief before coming up with her second excuse. “Sorry, I think the wet air may have given me something nasty.”

“Don’t forget your medication then.” Anklet pointed out as she got a package of saltines. 

“Anyway.” Stocking decided to continue with her first excuse. “As Scanty’s play is around the same time, I figured I would make a cake celebrating both their anniversary and the play.”

“Like…what?” Anklet shrugged. “The head of Othello?”

“No, silly.” Stocking giggled, glad that her daughter had bought it. “Maybe…the two’s heads kissing? With Scanty dressed as her character, and Panty...” Stocking stopped for a second to realize that in the play, Emilia was married to Iago, the villain who made up the charges of adultery against Desdemona and would later kill Emilia after she exposes him for his crimes. “…I guess Panty could be the queen.”

“Sounds nice.” Anklet said with a dreamy tone. Stocking again sighed, thankful that her daughter didn’t know the relationships of the play characters. “Mom, I think the soup is burning.”

“Whoops!” Stocking shouted as she lowered the heat and stirred the soup. Got a little too involved in hiding there. She wasn’t used to lying, let alone to her own daughter. “Sorry.”

“Are you sure it’s just about cake?” Anklet asked, more quizzed than before. “You never came this close before to burn food, let alone soup…”

“I’m…” Stocking started before coming up with something plausible. “…tired. Work and all.” Stocking continued to stir the soup, but remained quiet to keep her daughter from becoming suspicious. But the effect had already sunk in, and Anklet began to wonder about her mother, and her aunt. What could have happened? Mommy never made it a habit to tell lies (Save for the Rubber Ball of Doom incident. Kneesocks didn’t need to know, ever.) and she was clearly distressed about what happened, whatever that might be.

And a second cloud came over the Anarchy household…


	6. A Drowned Control

Panty bit her lip.

It was getting harder and harder to arrange meetings.

She slammed her phone shut, accidently breaking one of the plastic straps. Cursing to herself, she sat down, only to slip and fall onto the floor; her phone bouncing across the kitchen floor. Thankfully nobody saw this little accident. Panty stringed together multiple curses into one sentence as she got up and examined her dented phone. The poor thing. Unlike the alarm clock, this phone wasn’t meant to take abuse. Managing to restrain herself to just grumbling, she opened up the back of the phone and retrieve the SIM card. Time anyway to get a new phone. Plus, Gee had been asking for one of her own to match her friends. While her academy didn’t allow cellphones, that didn’t stop the other girls from texting in class.

Of course, this was all a excuse to go out and get a second cellphone for her second life.

At this point, regret was building in Panty.

A couple of months ago, she felt the urges rise again. For years, since the marriage, Panty had kept to her vows. She honestly found true love in Scanty, and happiness in keeping the child. But her old carnal desires kept prodding at her for years, demanding her to find satisfaction in others. Her wife couldn’t provide relief to that. Thanks to some off-the-counter medication, those voices were silenced. And Panty thought she could survive.

The pills’ side effect started out as a small puddle, but eventually created a ocean inside of Panty. She would wake up in the middle of the night feeling hot all over. Her womanhood would itch during important board meetings. She might starting blushing out of nowhere and starting moaning. Going to her favorite restaurant was no longer a option anymore. She would lose track of time and find herself staring at men. As it turns out, the medicine she had been using wasn’t a cure, nor a preventive, just a relief. And there was a misprint. One pill a day. Not two. And now?

She couldn’t resist anymore. She gave in. She started to see men all the time, making excuses to her family, friends and co-workers that so far worked out. Her usual place to pick men up would be the gym, hence how she met the former Olympic swimmer, her latest catch. Panty didn’t keep count of the men she did, like back in Daten City, she just did them.

No love.

No happiness. 

Just a way to release all the lust built in her.

Just nothing.

Panty heard someone coming down the stairs. As Scanty was still in practicing for the play, it would be Gee. Not wanting to give anything away, she pocketed the phone and got back to work on the progress reports she brought home from work. Quickly scribbling something down, she then turned her head to see a concerned Gee. She still wore her school uniform, sans tie.

“You okay?” Gee asked. 

“Yeah, yeah, just a little slip-up.” Panty comforted her daughter the best she could at this moment. “My rear is a little sore, but I’m fine.”

“Bad day at work?” Gee then commented with a stern look. “I could hear you, mom. Do we need to bring back the swear jar?” Panty grimaced. As Scanty went from being the most obscene demon into the kind mother today, she set up a swear job to help with the process. However, Scanty only put in about thirty dollars. Panty put in three hundred. The jar was removed once Scanty had gained self-control, but the jar along with the faded card tapped on waited in the closet in case Panty needed to remember what happened the first time.

At least the family got to eat at the finest restaurant in town.

“No thanks.” Panty chuckled, putting on an air of wariness. “Today has been rather busy. That’s why I brought home my own homework…” She then deflected over to Gee. “Hey, speaking of which…”

“Did it school.” Gee remarked. “Like always.” She put her hands on her hips, and gave Panty a stern look. “…mom…”

“What?”

“…you’re hiding something.” Gee confronted. “I spent lunch in the library, and I read a book about liars and how to catch them in the act by reading body language. You know? Upward brows, you’re covering your mouth, you’re blinking a lot, you’re fidgeting in your seat, talking faster…”

“…you sure you did ALL of your homework?”

“…you’re deflecting…”

“Room!” Panty demanded. “Mommy needs some alone time!” Gee pouted before storming up to her room. It took a few minutes, but Panty could hear the sobs from above. Panty groaned. This day was starting to snowball. First, her urges started to poke her hard again. Then her phone got busted up. She then made her daughter cry.

And now? She started to pant. The poke became a kick. She needed to get some…now. Quickly scribbling down her signature, she grabbed her keys and jumped into her car. While still in the neighborhood, she called up her fitness instructor and asked him to meet her at the motel. He sounded confused, but that would vanish in good time.

Why not see a doctor? Panty’s mind was swimming in juices, and couldn’t make logical sense. If word got out she saw a doctor, her rivals would aim for the jugular. Melinda might have pushed out of the limelight thanks to the buy-out, but she could gain a edge that would not only get back her models and line-ups, but possibly take over Panty’s magazine. Any rival could do that. Panty was the sole money-earner for the family. No business meant no money. Gee would be kicked out of the academy, the play would be cancelled as Panty was supporting the whole thing, and Panty would be blacklisted. It would a disaster. 

She couldn’t think straight.

Must pound men.

Undress.

Oh god.

She enjoyed this.


	7. Going Back Before The Storm

Seems like the whole state had the blues. The rain refused to stop for days on end, and the news channel reported a good chance of a flood hitting. As Panty’s house had been reinforced for floods: Stocking’s family packed up, got the electronics and other non-waterproof materials upstairs, and bunkered down in the small mansion. Schools have closed, so nobody left the house at all.

The household had become eerily quiet. Panty had to cancel everything (Including her date with the giant of a basketball player) and now to hold back her carnal urges from breaking out. Stocking kept an close eye on her sister to make sure she didn’t attempt to leave or to hide any evidence of her infidelity. Scanty staid with the children in the playroom, trying to keep them from being scared by the loud wind and lightning outside. Kneesocks waited in her office. Today was supposed to be the day where the sentencing of The Great Dine-n-Dasher began. Sure, the man harmed no one save for the business he robbed from, but Kneesocks had prepared a speech to convince the jury to put the man in jail, and not community service.

Gee wasn’t scared of the howling or the cracks, but rather of the unknown. Usually, her parents and her aunts would be talking or playing with her and Anklet. But they were in different rooms, doing their own thing. While she had a inkling of a idea that this had to do with what her mom was obsessing over a few days back, she thought it would be best to keep it hidden until she knew exactly the ongoing situation. By far the calmest person in the household happened to be Anklet, who jumped every time a lightning bolt struck and worried only about the storm outside. Sure, her mother too had a problem a few days ago, but it didn’t really bug her as much as Gee.

The household was quiet throughout dinner. Gee wanted to talk about the prank one of her classmates performed on the rude Mr. Shiner, but couldn’t get the courage to talk about it. Anklet wanted to mention how her drawing of a puppy eating a pepperoni pizza got her 2nd prize in a contest, but the tense air kept her quiet. Scanty and Stocking worked on the dinner, but didn’t talk about it. Kneesocks had received a call about how the trial had been moved to a later date, but didn’t bring it up. Panty had nothing to talk about. Nothing to discuss.

As the storm continued to rage on, the two children were sent to bed early as the adults discussed and planned for the possible flood downstairs in the living room. But like real children, they pretended the whole thing was a sleepover. As the adults were occupied with planning, Gee and Anklet staid up till midnight playing games and telling silly horror stories. 

“And then they all died!” Anklet finished her ‘campers-at-Doom-Death-Lake’ story by pouncing onto Gee, getting the two of them to scream out loud and then laugh it off. Gee had to fake it, having already heard this story before and told better. But now Gee was without a story to tell. “Your turn!” Anklet happily declared. 

“…well…” Gee rubbed the back of her head. “…hey. Anklet?”

“Yes?”

“…has Stocking or Kneesocks told you how they got together?”

“No. They say I’m not old enough.”

“My mom…err…’dad’…told me when I was six.”

“Mommy doesn’t really like her sister that much…”

“…look, doesn’t it bug you that you don’t know?”

“Sometimes.”

“I can tell you everything. Everything that happened that got us here. Everything that happened after Daten City.”

“…were you planning on telling the Doom Death…”

“Do you want to hear the story or not?”

“Sure.”

Gee exhaled. “Okay. So, after the long and perilous journey to get all the pieces of Panty and restore Stocking back to normal…”


	8. HOW WE GOT THERE (Part One: Mobius Strip)

Anarchy Lifestyle: How We Got There (Part One: Mobius Strip)

“It’s good to be back bitches.”

Stocking looked up. As expected, the pile of spent men continued to get bigger and bigger nearly every minute. When Panty got restored back to normal the first thing that passed through her mind and out of her mouth was: fucking, fucking and a extra heaping of fucking. She was in such a good mood that she offered herself to men for free, and managed to get at least 300 men done since then. And Brief wasn’t apart of that pile. No, Panty would keep to her promise and make him her 1,000 man. But even she had her limits.

“Fucking hell!” Panty growled, raising up from under a muscle builder. “Garterbelt! Get your fat ass in here and clean up!” She waved her hand around her nose. “It stinks!”

“Lord, give me strength.” Garterbelt moaned as he held two fingers on the area between his eyes. “Haven’t you hoes learned anything from this whole experience? Anything at all?” He pointed to Stocking, who just downed a slice of red velvet cake. “You’re still trying to stuff your face and YOU,” He pointed a meaty finger straight at Panty, jumping down and landing on top of a mailman. “You’re still the worst one! You just DIED and RESERCUTED for Jesus Christ’s sakes! Out of the two of you, I expected you would at least FIGURED OUT A FUCKING THING.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Panty waved her hand around, dismissing the giant fly in the room. “Get ghost coins, go back to heaven, nothing new.”

“Well, at least you picked that up.” Garterbelt said with clenched teeth. “Then get your stanky asses into gear. A ghost is tearing City Hall a new asshole, so get down there and earn some coins!” He threw Panty her signature weapon and tossed Stocking the keys to See-Through. “And the mutt is staying with me. I need results, not comedy!”

The two sisters groaned and set out. As Stocking drifted through the traffic, caused by the Godzilla-sized monster, Panty started to chuckle. Stocking ignored it for a bit, until it exploded into full-out bellowing. “Okay.” Stocking asked with a groan. “What’s so damn funny?”

“Well…” Panty choked twice before continuing. “Life!”

“Life.” Stocking repeated with less emotion.

“I mean, it’s funny.” Panty laid back and looked into the sky. “Think about it. We’re exactly where we were before all the big shit happened. You know, ‘the more things changed, the more they stay the same?’ The only real difference now is we know about those demon bitches ahead of ‘time’.” Her joyful face faded after this into something more somber. 

“But…” She sighed. “…I just don’t have the energy for it anymore.” She shook her head. “I mean, yeah, I’ll kick this Ghost’s ass good, but…honestly? I want something more. Something more dangerous. Something more exciting. “ She shook her hands to make her point. “You know what I mean? Different! I want something different to happen!” She then slung herself over the side of the car, looking towards the city. “Mostly, I want to go somewhere that’s not Daten City. Great place and all, plenty of hot men…but maybe it’s time to pack up and find a greener pasture.”

“One problem with your fun travel plans.” Stocking said without looking at her sister. “Where do we go, how do we earn money to afford housing and food, and why?”

“Why not!” Panty exclaimed. “Okay, so we depend on Garterbelt a bit too much for…everything?”

“Everything.”

“Well, we did do some things on our own…”

“All ending with us returning to the church with money we got from fighting ghosts.”

“Okay, okay. But there are things we can do to earn our keep. You for example. You like stuffing your face with fatty stuff, so why not run a fatty-size clothing store?”

“Ha ha.” Stocking choked out before putting on a easy smile. “But hey, running a sweet job might be a great idea. Of course, I would need to learn a little bit of self-control first. It would be bad for business if I ate everything before the customers.”

“Yeah, yeah!” Panty pointed out. “It’s a good way to make some money, but you got to pay for upkeep, supplies and you need money to get started in the first place. But in the art of clothing, it’s easier than that!” She waved her arms out. “We got a bunch of old clothes hanging around the church…”

“Those are donations!”

“Exactly. We take those old clothes that even the homeless won’t take, clean them up, rework them to give them some flash and try to sell to a already popular fashion line. Once we start making more clothes with better materials, we should be able to break off and start our own line and eventually buyout the other companies!”

“Panty.” Stocking now turned to face her sister. “You’re thinking about the future. You never think about what’s to come. What the hell?”

“Let’s face it.” Panty sighed, as she lay back in the seat and looked up into the sky. “We…aren’t going back up there. God is sick of our shit. I fuck too many men and you eat too much shit. Even if we save up enough coins thrice than the goal, we won’t stay in heaven that long before being given the boot. We just don’t change. I’m going to continue to delight myself with sex and you’re going to eat your sweets. Being here, in Daten City and hunting ghosts, feels like a loop with no exit. I mean, Stocking, do you really want to keep doing this? Do you think we’re getting anything done?”

Stocking took some time before answering. She said with a heavy sigh, “No.”

“I thought so.” Panty also sighed. “Let’s kick some ass and start on my fashion line.”

“What about the sweet shop idea?”

“That’s your idea…”

And the two sisters argued all the way there.


	9. HOW WE GOT THERE (Part Two: The Premature Surrender)

Anarchy Lifestyle: How We Got There (Part Two: The Premature Surrender)

Stocking took a deep breath. Not to brace herself before eating a rare dish that took weeks, but something involuntary out of nowhere. This made her jump a bit. Something like happened only one other time, and that was before the whole end of the world thing that she had a hand in.

Was it about again? And so soon?

Stocking looked around the room. Today was a lazy day at the church. Panty reading a magazine on the couch, Garterbelt writing his next sermon, Chuck trying to eat the wall, and Brief fiddling around with his plasma pack. Everyone was doing their own thing, and yet none of them looked to be worried about anything. This only made Stocking even more on the edge. There haven’t been any ghost attacks since that giant one a couple days ago. Were the demon sisters and their father already moving forward?

“Stocking.” Panty said. “What do you think about a blouse that reflects the weather? That would be fashionable all year long.”

“Yeah, sure.” Stocking quickly replied without really thinking about it.

“Hmm.” Panty mumbled before going back into her magazine. Stocking continued to eat her cake at a slow pace worrying about what’s to come. 

And it came to her via a knock at the main door. Garterbelt grumbled as he got up and got the door. He screamed out loud something before being cut off. The other people in the room turn their heads towards the doorway and then immediately getting up to fight with weapons drawn.

“Calm yourself.” The uninvited guest said. “We’ve come here to make a peace treaty between the angels and devils.”

In walked the demon twins, confident as ever. Scanty was carrying around something large covered by a cloth in both hands. Kneesocks carried a vanilla folder stuffed with papers. Despite them intruding on holy ground and having multiple weapons pointed at them, they seem to be in fair control of the situation. They strolled over and sat down on the empty couch. Kneesocks cleared her throat. 

“Don’t worry about your priest.” She stated. “He’s simply asleep. Probably dreaming about little boys.” Scanty giggled. Brief didn’t. Kneesocks looked at the two angels. “Please. If we wanted to fight, we would brought a tank and smashed down the walls and blow you back into heaven…free of charge of course.” Kneesocks opened her folder and pulled out some documents. “As I just said, we’ve come here to make peace. We can negotiate a fair deal for all of us.”

“Yeah.” Panty started. “Sure. I can almost hear the tank…” Brief took this as a sign to go and check on Garterbelt and look outside. Neither demon sisters tried to stop him.

“True.” Scanty said. “We could have the tank wait for you to get into a certain spot to take all of you out with one shot…but there’s a small problem.” She tapped on the cloth-covered object, making a metallic sound. “We have a important thing that can’t afford to be harmed in any way.”

“I’M NOT A THING!” Screamed the ‘important thing’ from inside the cloth. “NOW UNCOVER ME!”

Scanty removed the cloth with one hand. A birdcage. With Corset’s head inside, tied to a machine keeping him alive.

“ANGEL WHORES!” He screamed. “I CAN’T FEEL ANYTHING! NO PAIN! NO PLEASURE!” As she started to make more noise, Scanty reached into the cage and lifted up a bondage ball-gag to cover his mouth. Corset continued to scream out muffled curses before finally getting the hint and keeping quiet.

“During your adventure to restore Panty, you destroyed our father…again.” Kneesocks sighed as she cleaned her glasses with a part of her suit. “But this time with more permanent effects. The next mayor election isn’t for another decade, and as Mayor Corset is still alive, it’s our job to ensure he continues his job regardless of condition.” Kneesocks then coughed before continuing. “We’re currently growing him a new body in the labs, but it will take some time. As per the mayor’s interest, we’ve come to ensure his future.”

“Hey.” Panty dropped her weapons. “So you’re surrendering to us! You’re worried that we might kick your asses again!”

“Silence.” Scanty hissed before continuing in a normal tone of voice. “We’ve come to a conclusion that...not…everyone wants to follow our rrrules.” Panty shook her head at this. “So we decided to split Daten City in half. A Perfect Divide between law and chaos.”

“Ah!” And with that statement, Panty turned her weapons back to normal and lay back on the couch. “I’m listening. Go ahead.”

“Dumbass.” Stocking groaned. “You might as well shoot yourself.”

“You may have noticed…” Kneesocks raised her feet onto the table. “But I’m not wearing any sort of socks.” Indeed, her legs were bare, and you could clearly see her foot going into her shoes. “But Scanty does have her underwear on, just to be proper. Between the three of you, we don’t stand a chance.” She motioned over to a chair in the room. “Please, Miss Stocking. Sit down and let’s talk.”

Stocking took a minute, but eventually did so, but kept her swords ready at her side. As much as she wanted to finish her cake and coffee, she left it to keep a eye on the two sisters. After all, Corset’s head could be a bomb in disguise.

“All right, the meeting has started.” Kneesocks declared as she looked at a paper. “Due to recent events, the mayor of Daten City has fallen ill.”

“Yeah!” Panty shot out. “Ill of neck!” Corset tried to chew off his ball-gag, but stopped when Chuck started to eye him. Scanty coughed with a mean expression.

“Anyway.” Kneesocks picked up. “The recent events have proved that the mayor’s goals of enacting new rrrrules to create a better city aren’t right for every citizen.” Before Panty could get out a riff, Kneesocks sent a glare in her direction. For someone without a way to harm Panty, it sure kept her quiet. “So we’re preparing to split the city in halves. North Daten and South Daten. One side will become the mayor’s side where the citizens that believe in the rrrrules will live. The other will continue with their sinful lives as normal, but under new management.”

“I believe they’re saying we’re going to leaders!” Panty deflected over to Stocking.

“Goody.” Stocking mustered up enough enthusiasm. “Maybe I could lower the taxes on sweets.”

“Oh, Miss Stocking.” Kneesocks shook her head. “This hostility will get you nowhere. Our intentions are honest and we really do mean what we’re saying.” She threw up her hands. “What can I do to prove that?”

“You sound like a used-car salesman.” Stocking said through gritted teeth. 

“I’m trying not to do.” Kneesocks sounded as sincere as possible. 

Stocking went silent. She had started to ignore Kneesocks. The demon sighed; she had hoped to get Stocking’s favor during the negotiations. At least she had the ability to rationalize a situation and at least try to be neutral. Perhaps her becoming of a demon and going back to a angel made her a bit bitter. Never the less, Kneesocks continued with the proposal.

“The production of ghosts has slowed down considerably.” She restarted with. “However, as the original plan of getting the ultimate one has failed, there’s little need for ghosts now, other than to keep the people in line. Now this has angered some current-existing ghosts, so you might need to deal with them…”

“Wait wait wait.” Panty waved her hands around. “There are less ghosts? Meaning…less ghost coins?”

“Oh, that’s right!” Scanty slapped the side of her head. “Your end goal is to kill enough ghosts to enter heaven again.” Her tail twirled, much a like a dog who sees a treat in front of him. “So you need us to make enough ghosts for to afford the bus.”

“I knew it.” Stocking sneered as she got up. “I knew it. You came here with a proposal for peace, but you want us to beg!”

“We’re doing this for the best of all sides.” Kneesocks raised the tone of her voice into something a bit harsher. “We need to restore order, and you need ghosts to escape this city. Take us down for good, and there will be no more ghosts for you to fight, and you’ll be stuck here forever. If we destroy you, your God will retaliate with more force than what we can handle. We NEED each other. I apologize if this is inconvenient to you, but we’re stuck in the same rut as you.” Kneesocks sighed. “Do you understand now why we’re here?”

Stocking kept her face cold as she sat down and transformed her weapons back into their regular state. She crossed her arms and waited. Kneesocks took a second to compose herself before continuing. Stocking’s glare did make her a bit uneasy.

“So what we need.” Kneesocks said. “You need ghosts, we need time to rebuild. Our plan of dividing the city in half can work out. The Rrrrrules side will be left alone while we send ghosts to attack the other side. You fight the ghosts and get the coins.”

“I got a better idea.” Panty piped in. “Let’s be friends.”

“What.” Kneesocks said the only thing she could get out.

“The whole city thinks we’re bitter enemies that would rather die than spend a minute together.” Panty started to make weird hand signs. “How about this? You claim that the ghosts are out of control, and because you’re too busy fixing up your place, you ask the great angel sisters to save your asses!”

“Yes.” Scanty groaned. “Great plan. We look like idiots, while you’ll take all the glory.” She drummed her fingers at a fast pace. “Do you remember that stronger ghosts produce more coins? And that we control how they’re made?” This made Panty go quiet. “Yeah, let’s not showboat here.”

“I got a better idea.” Stocking added something for once.

“What’s that?” Kneesocks asked.

“Give us the coins we need. We go back up to Heaven, and you get to keep this shitty city.” Stocking threw up her hands, like this was the answer the whole time. “Real simple. God doesn’t care where we got the coins. Satan could give less of a fuck.” The whole room had gone silent. “If this was a peace treaty, you would have come here with a truckload of coins.”

Kneesocks attempted to answer that. She couldn’t. 

Not that she have a chance to, as the sky outside turned a dark violet color and the electricity went out.

“What a surprise.” Stocking said through gritted teeth as she got up. “It was a trap.”

“This isn’t our doing!” Scanty protested, tired of dealing with Stocking. Before the two could get into a duel, the TV in the room turned itself on. Only static played. Soon, a garbled voice came forward through.

“HUMANS OF DATEN CITY.” The voice spoke with an audible boom. “YOU MUST LEAVE. HUMANS OF DATEN CITY. YOU MSUT LEAVE.” It kept repeating itself for a bit as the non-humans in the room looked to the other for a possible answer. The answer came with the next statement.

“HUMANS OF DATEN CITY. THE SINS ARE TOO GREAT. LEAVE OR PERISH. YOU HAVE THIRTY MINUTES. THIS CITY IS BEING DRAGGED INTO HELL BY BOTH ANGELS AND DEMONS.”

The four women took a single second to comprehend this before scattering to collect their belongings.

“I guess we’re not apart of this!” Panty screeched out as she jammed her best clothes into a suitcase. “And by the looks of it, neither are the demon bitches!”

“I think this is somehow our fault!” Stocking replied as she quickly grabbed what she could into a black trunk. “We’re fairly sinful! Maybe God got tired of us constantly fucking around!”

“Hey now!” Panty groaned as tried to closed the stuffed case shut with her body. “I think the voice meant everyone in the city, not just us!” She chuckled as the thing finally closed. “Maybe it’s also the demon’s fault as well!”

“We heard that!” Scanty cried from downstairs. “Dammit! I got nothing!” She threw her cellphone down onto the floor, breaking it. “Kneesocks!”

“Nothing over here!” She replied as she calmly put the phone back into her pocket. “We’re stuck here with the rest of the humans!” After saying that, the church itself began to sink into the ground, sending everyone to the ground inside. Brief, who only noticed the skies and didn’t hear the message, decided to run home to get a plane. Sadly, this would be the last time he would see the angels or the demons. He would escape the sinking Daten City in this plane and continue his life as the successor to a major company. He did plan on locating the angels, but business got in the way of pleasure.

While Stocking loaded the See-Through with their luggage, Panty rushed back inside to grab even more stuff, like food and booze. Stocking would have commented on this, but at this point, they might be traveling for a while. After finishing loading up, she ran inside to raid Garterbelt’s alms box for all the regular money it had. Yeah, it was stealing, but this city was going to hell and it’s not like Stocking didn’t do this before. With the sound of the engine outside revving up, Stocking made tracks and leapt inside. But before the two angels could blaze out, Scanty and Kneesocks ran out in a near state of panic.

Stocking bit her lip. Yes, they’re enemies. They have tried in the past to kill them and will continue to do so in the future. And yet, this was the perfect time for Stocking to finish them for good. Only one could properly fight back, and Panty could finish her before she had a chance to attack. Whatever the future holds for the angels, at least the demon sisters won’t be there.

But instead of a curse or a attack thrown at the sisters it was instead a hand. “Get on!” Stocking screamed.

The demon sisters didn’t take time to think about why their enemies would offer them a ride, they just took it. Any port in a storm. Panty didn’t bother to ask anything, just floored it and kept moving towards the exit of the city. The city started to sink even further. Buildings collapsed as their supports fell into pieces, the slower people fell into the cracks and took the fast way down into hell, and the intense heat coming from the underbelly of the world set everything on fire and started to melt buildings. 

Garterbelt, having been dragged outside previously to get fresh air by Brief, woke up to see the sky getting smaller and smaller. Recovering quickly, he jumped from the descending piece of land and ran out of the city. His church had already fallen through the earth, so he had no choice to start over. As he dashed out of the city, he felt something poking at him in his coat pocket. He reached in tenderly and retrieved Chuck, who must found that cookie Garterbelt had taken earlier for a quick snack. Like Brief, neither of the two would see either the angels or the demons again.

“Where you are going!” Scanty asked, as she held onto the back seat.

“Out of here!” Panty shot back, focused on keeping the vehicle on the road and into any holes. “Where else?”

“How you do know where the damage ends?” Scanty then shouted as she ducked down to avoid a flaming branch. Panty pointed ahead to a cliff overlooking the ocean. “You’re mad.”

“Not with See-Through’s new mode!” Panty flipped opened up a console and hit a big blue button that a black raft icon above it. “All right, hold on!” Panty pushed the gas pedal down to the floor. As the demon sisters started to scream, the car started to morph into a boat mode by raising the wheels and blowing up a raft around the side. Panty timed it just right; the transformation was complete by the time the car raced over the cliff and landed in the ocean.

“Piece o’ cake.” Panty shrugged as she laid back with hands behind her head. “So, who’s up for a Hawaiian vacation?”

Before anyone could make a remark about this, the entire area became bathed in sharp white light. Everyone suddenly became stunned and their bodies became lighter. For a second, they were lifted out of their seats before the light died down and they crashed back into their car.

“Was that…” Stocking started before pulling her socks, hoping to use them as swords to climb the cliff. Nothing happened. As much as she focused, the socks refused to change. Stocking felt nothing. No life, no energy. They felt as dead as a inanimate object could get.

This promoted the others to try out their own things. Panty and Scanty pulled down their panties and tried to turn them, but they just waved in the wind. Stocking nonchalantly tossed her socks to Kneesocks, who tried the same thing. Nothing happened. They even switched clothes, but nothing happened. So matter the concentration or the power, they just couldn’t form weapons.

“I feel heavy.” Scanty moaned as she slacked back into her seat. 

“Yeah.” Everyone else said. Stocking even tried to jump out of the car and onto the cliff, but her jump didn’t even clear the top of the seats.

They had became powerless.

As See-Through drifted away from the cliff, they could see the damage. Nothing. The entire was gone. In it’s place was a field full of colorful flowers, without any sign that city once stood there. Daten City no longer existed. Both God and Satan had removed it off the face of the earth. And with the light of God restoring the land to normal, it also removed all unearthly qualities from both the angels and the demons. And they coasted far away from their home, never to come back…

…hey, wait a minute. What happened to Corset?

“FUCKERS!” He screamed as he fell.


	10. HOW WE GOT THERE (Part Three: Stir One Foot)

Anarchy Lifestyle: How We Got There (Part Three: Stir One Foot)

By far, this turned out to be most uncomfortable ride in the four’s lives.

The aftermath of the great blast from the heavens had also caused some damage to the See Through; boat mode turned into raft mode. Some of Panty’s luggage had to be dumped in order to keep the thing afloat and some of her clothes were sewed together to make a sail capable of getting them around. However, the winds had pushed them out to sea and then did a 180; meaning they couldn’t return to Japan. Thanks to a survival kit Stocking threw in there at the last minute, Panty was able to set a course for Hawaii. They had plenty of food and usable water to last (Under strict rations) and the sea was calm.

Well, the water was anyway.

“Why there?” Scanty protested as she ripped off the long sleeves of her uniform to account for the sudden rise in temperature. “I think Australia is closer!”

“Only by a few hundred miles. Besides, the wind is pushing us to the east.” Stocking said as she mentally measured the map. She flopped down into the soaked leather seats. “Seems like God doesn’t want us anywhere near Japan.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean? Us?” Scanty scowled. 

“Just what it means.” Stocking groaned as she scooted around to get into a comfortable position for a quick nap. It got interrupted when Scanty grabbed her by the hair and lifted her up.

“You made God angry with all of your sins!” Scanty protested as she shook Stocking. “And now, me and my sister are stranded here on this shitty world!”

“At least I can laugh at your suffering!” Stocking kicked Scanty in the crotch-area. Scanty let out a wheeze as she dropped the goth down. The two started to wrestle until Kneesocks grabbed the two by the collar and held them away. The lost of enhanced strength made it harder to keep the two back, but Panty did eventually let go of the wheel to hold her sister back.

“Enough, enough!” Kneesocks shouted as she threw her sister into the backseat. “We can’t afford to fight now!”

“Yes we should!” Scanty pointed at Stocking who tried to break free of Panty’s hold by kicking all around. “Those angels have destroyed everything! They just broke EVERY RRRRULE IN THE FUCKING BOOK!” She held her damaged copy of the rulebook. It had fallen into the water during the splashdown and now the lettering had been smudged and nigh unreadable. “They should be killed! We can throw their bodies into the water and that way we don’t have share supplies!”

“It’s…a good plan.” Kneesocks confirmed with a sigh, earning a dirty look from the former angels. “But the problem is that we still need them.” Kneesocks spread her arms out wide, motioning over to the near-infinite ocean. “If we’re really the last creatures capable of keeping the rrrrrrules alive, we need all the help we can get.” Scanty groaned as she sat down, fuming to herself. Kneesocks turned to the angels. “We might in the same boat…literally…but we’re not friends nor enemies.”

“Just a common goal of survival.” Stocking summed up. “Fair enough.” Stocking held a rusty pocketknife that came with the survival kit. “Don’t try anything though. We’re all mortal now, so there’s no more second chances at life.”

“This journey would be a lot easier if we all played the fucking quiet game.” Panty moaned as she got back into the driver’s seat. For once, the three decided to play along and listen to Panty.

Four hours passed, and it felt like four days to the four of them. Kneesocks, still able to act rational despite the previous events, was put in charge of rations. Having a more focused mind than the others, she could last longer without food and cut her portion in half so the others wouldn’t complain about starving to death. By far the least useful person on this voyage was Scanty. Panty and Stocking kept the carboat on course at least. Scanty kept quiet and started to plan to take over the cruise.

Panty moaned. Stocking looked over to see what minor annoyance happened now, only to see Panty rubbing her wrists with a pained look. Panty looked over to her sister and said, “This thing is a bitch to keep on course. You mind taking over for a bit?”

“Sure.” Stocking replied. Panty jumped into the back seat while Stocking struggled to keep the carboat steady. Panty landed right next to Scanty, who just ignored the blonde as she tried to lie down.

“Big baby.” Scanty commented on.

“Not in the mood.” Panty groaned as she closed her eyes.

“Come on.” Scanty lightly slapped Panty’s cheek. “Let’s fight to the death. You know this is the end for all of us. We might as well settle our little feud.” Panty didn’t stir. Scanty pressed down a knee on Panty’s chest. “Come on, you flat-chested fucker. You ain’t going to suck any more cocks. You’re going to DIE.” Panty refused to do anything. Scanty roared and grabbed Panty by collar and lifted her up and over the side. “COME ON! DO SOMETHING!”

“No thanks.” Panty shrugged, her eyes still closed. 

Scanty bought Panty in closer, face-to-face. “No…thanks?” She got through gritted teeth. Kneesocks attempted to help Panty, but Scanty kicked back her own sister. “What do you mean…no thanks?”

“I just want to take a break for a bit.” Panty again shrugged. “I’ll let Stocking go for a few hours and then I’ll take over. Or…you could do it.”

“I don’t want to do anything.” Scanty replied, a little less angry. “I just want to kill you and then die.”

“You want to die so badly?” Panty then asked.

“YES!” Scanty screamed out loud as she throttled Panty. “I WANT YOU TO KILL ME!”

Instead, Panty kissed Scanty on the nose.

Scanty, feeling multiple conflicting emotions at once, dropped Panty back into the seat and fell down. Both Stocking and Kneesocks didn’t know what to do or even say anything, they just stared at the confident Panty, acting like she just got laid. Scanty whimpered as her mind tried to compute what in the hell just happened. Panty chuckled before standing up and grabbing Scanty by one of her arms and lifting her up.

“Did anyone…besides your sister…” Panty elbowed Scanty. Just something else to add onto the growing list of mental traumas. The angels knew about the incestuous affairs of the demons! “…tell you that you’re kinda cute?”

“Uhh…” Was all Scanty could force out. She really couldn’t think of anything more complex.

“Look.” Panty patted Scanty on the back. “I’m going to make you a deal. I want you to stay alive for the duration of our trip. If you calm your tits and work with the others, I’ll owe you a huge favor.” Panty kissed Scanty on the forehead. “As in, I can be your slave or whatever you want. I’m fairly open to any ideas you got.” Panty draped a arm around Scanty’s shoulders. “So? What do you say?”

Scanty went silent. 

And then she said, “Okay.”

And that changed everything for her.


	11. How We Got There Part Four: A Starry Confession

Anarchy Lifestyle: How We Got There (Part Four: A Starry Confession.) 

The universe had let up in its abuse of the four. 

Just a mere two hours after Panty calmed Scanty down, an American Naval cruiser came by and pulled them out of the sea. Scanty had managed to get their attention, so Panty’s little motivation promise worked. By this point, God had removed all memories of Daten City or even the fantastic lightshow in the sky from every human on Earth, so bringing it up would have made the nice sailors think they were insane. Panty used her charms to convince the captain to give them passage to America.

Unknown to her at that time, that would be the last men she would lay for many years.

The four got some old bunks in the cargo bay. They squeaked a lot, and rocked with the waves, but at least they were sturdy enough to hold all four. While things looked up for the demon sisters, the angel sisters had to say good-bye to the See Through. Their car took a beating during the whole trip and the strain finally broke a hole in it. It sunk the moment Panty got the last bit of her luggage off and to the bottom. Panty went to bed early, giving up her rations (Combined from the Naval out of grief.

Stocking stared at the dark, cold, metal ceiling, as she got the top bunk for once. She took a deep breath, trying to accept the reality around her. Her trip in the boat was just her keeping calm for the sake of keeping calm, but now she needed to face the facts.

Her sweet trips would have to stop for now. Like what Panty ominously brought up before, they would need to find real jobs and support themselves from now on. Panty would either be a lazy ass or take that clothing line idea to the fullest level. Guess Stocking should shoot for a job with a doughnut shop and work her way up to owing her own place. Guess that would lead the demon sisters to follow their own paths. Maybe they would bring their rrrrule book (Oh god. Stocking groaned. She got her doing it.) back onto the mortal plan as a cult. Either way, this could mean that all four could end going their separate ways. Stocking would be happy to do things on her own…

…and then she made the mistake of turning over in bed to face Kneesocks.

Stocking bit her lip. Kneesocks might be asleep; her eyes were closed but she lay on top of her covers and seemed to be more thinking than sleeping. Maybe the two were thinking about the same matters? Much like their weapons and their more serious attitudes compared to their sisters, the two did have lots in common.

Well, save for their figures. Thinking about it, Stocking came to a conclusion that Panty was the least endowed, then Kneesocks, then her, and then Scanty. Actually, Kneesocks’ cleaner image did add a layer of beauty…

Stocking groaned a bit louder than she wanted. This got Kneesocks to open her eyes and face the angel. “Something the matter?” She asked.

“Yeah.” Stocking faced Kneesocks directly. “Can we talk about something important? To the two of us?” She sighed. “Can I ask you to refrain from saying anything sarcastic or demeaning?”

“Okay.” Kneesocks said, without any of the above negative qualities. 

Stocking sunk into her bed; her head going from the headrest and onto the rock the Navy considered a pillow. “Back in Daten City…when we gave you a lift out…”

“…oh…” Kneesocks slapped herself in the head with a resounding smack. However, the dozing sisters below didn’t wake up. “…I’m sorry, I completely forgot to thank you for saving us back then. Miss Anarchy, I thank you for saving me and my sister.”

“…you’re welcome.” Stocking said that and clammed up. That defeated the whole purpose. Kneesocks curved an eyebrow at the sight of a pursed lips Stocking.

“Is there something more you wish to discuss?” She asked. Stocking shook her head ‘no’ instead of properly answering. Kneesocks tapped her fingers on her arm. “I believe there’s something more you need to get off your chest.” She reached over and lightly tapped Stocking on the shoulder. “We’re starting a new life. You might go in with a clear mind and a light heart. Go ahead.”

Stocking took a second before continuing. “I…wanted to leave you and your sister there. While bother with you?” She shrugged. “You would have gotten in the way, and you would have more likely killed us to take our supplies. Nobody knew about the removal of our powers, nor did anybody expect that the only way out was to go into the sea. Those two things kept you and your sister from killing us.”

“The thought never came to me.” Kneesocks stated with a little anger. “You did a selfless thing to allow us passage out of Daten. While Scanty’s anger could have lead her to attack, I could have contained her.” She scooted a little closer to the edge of the bed, getting closer to Stocking’s face. “I’m getting the implication that you didn’t save us out of wanting to play the hero or anything that selfless. Then why did you rescue us?”

At this point, Stocking was thinking over different ways of saying ‘it’ without coming off as an idiot nor as a freak. She honestly tried to say ‘it’ just right, but her emotions gave her away. Even in the dim light of the moon, Kneesocks could see Stocking’s face turn a little red.

“I see.” She commented cooingly. “I see.” She repeated for good measure, with a uncharastically smirk and a chuckle. With a less-than-serious tone Kneesocks said, “So my sister falls for your sister and you already fallen for me…” She stopped herself short. Now it was Stocking’s turn to raise a eyebrow.

“Panty’s little thing earlier today wooed Scanty?” Stocking asked. 

“Yes.” Kneesocks whispered. “She feels safe and comfortable with Panty. That’s her words…not mine. She honestly feels…” Kneesocks let out a breath of uncomfortable air. “…it’s love at…first sight. Even though Scanty has seen Panty before and used to hate her.” Kneesocks clutched the bridge of her nose with two fingers. “She’s a little emotionally detached right now. Scanty will need some time to recover and if your sister dares to try to take advantage…”

“I’ll kill her for you.” Stocking finished getting just as angry as Kneesocks. “My sister should better…if she decided to do such a thing. Trust me, I keep her in line.”

“Good.” Kneesocks turned to face the ceiling again. “It’s getting late. We need to consider what we’re going to do tomorrow…and everyday after that.” She lifted up the covers and slid in, closing her eyes while doing so. “Good night, Stocking. Perhaps we should work together for a bit while we hit the mainland…” She then went quiet. Stocking followed suit and turned in for the night.

She honestly considered to Kneesocks to be someone to spend the rest of her life with…

“And then they went to America.” Said Gee before taking a deep breath. She just talked for nearly two hours about how her and Anklet’s parents met. Quite a long story for a ten year old to get through in one sitting. Gee felt quite proud of having done it.

“MOM!” Anklet screamed. “Gee said some bad words!”

“Watch your damn mouth!” Panty shouted up the stairs.

“Panty!” The other three adults shouted back at her. Then Scanty said, “Gee, you don’t get dessert for two days!”

“Thanks a lot!” Gee rudely thanked Anket by lightly slapping her in the head. “You better give me some of our mother’s treats!”

“Sorry…”

“And I never said cussed! That’s just the story for the readers! How did you even…?”

“Look, let’s just say I have a special power. Can you continue?”

“Well…” Gee rubbed the back of her head. “I really don’t know all the details…but I can give you the rundown.”

“That’s lame.” Anklet huffed. “But I guess our parents don’t want to tell how they had sex.”

“Pretty much.” Gee said without realizing what Anklet just said. “Wait wait…”

“Continue, please?”

“Fine…”


	12. How We Got There Part Five: We Are Here

“So…” Gee cleared her throat again. “Our moms eventually arrived in California. After being checked out by multiple authorities, they were cleared to come in and stay. Of course, they still haven’t gained official citizen status…”

“Eew…” Anklet stuck out her tongue. “Poltics…”

“Yeah, yeah.” Gee waved her hand. “Anyhoo, my mom managed to get that idea of a clothing line up and running by raiding every church in the state giving out free clothes. She convinced Scanty to help her out. At that point, I believe, Scanty had started to let go of her former beliefs about the rules and wanted to be more closer to Panty.”

“Why did Scanty fall for Panty?” Asked Anklet. “I mean, the real reason.”

“I asked mom about this years ago. She said…” Gee rolled her head back, trying to recall exactly she heard. “…Panty used to be horrible to me during Daten City. But after that ended, she acted nicer. She didn’t stomp on me, but rather helped me up. I guess I fell in love with her after that. She treated me well, and…” Gee tapped her finger in the air for a few seconds. “…I never used that promise.”

“You mean that promise that Scanty could request anything from Panty?” Asked Anklet as a reminder.

“Yeah.”

“I would have used that years ago!” Anklet huffed. “Panty could have done my homework for me, gotten me treats…”

“Yeah.” Gee said with a worried sigh. “Let me continue a bit more without you interrupting every five seconds.”

“Okay.”

Gee continued with a cough. “Together, the two were able to turn cruddy old clothes that people threw away without a second thought into fantastic new clothes that caught the eyes of a notable fashion company around those parts. Oh, and before you ask, I don’t know the name of that company, Panty took over it within months and renamed it to Special Gal. She nearly lead it into the ground, but with Scanty’s help…and Stocking’s….and Kneesocks’…and the CEO she kicked out…and that one hobo, she managed to keep the company going even stronger. She eventually moved the headquarters out here, taking with her sister and her new friends, the demons.”

“My mom isn’t exactly best buds with your mom…”

“Yeah, but Stocking couldn’t get a shop up and running in California. She could get a job working at one…”

“…but that was a doughnut shop…”

“Plus, Stocking didn’t like the heat anyway. Scanty followed Panty out of love, and Kneesocks? Well…I actually don’t know. Maybe…err…” Gee took a second to find a good enough reason. “…I guess the beaches were too lawless…err…”

“She wanted to follow her sister to keep her safe.” Anklet filled in with a smile. “Kneesocks does have great concern for her sister, even after these years.”

“Wait…I thought you said…” Gee spluttered. “You didn’t know…” She waved her hands. “Never mind. Anyway, they only spent a year in California. Ever since then, they have lived in this state, in this town! They only left for either vacations or for their honeymoons. So much happened here.” Gee let out a deep breath of air, feeling bit nostalgia about her hometown. 

She continued. “Panty’s move here allowed her to get away from the hustle and bustle of California life and press. Sure, the old Panty would have moved to New York for even more publicity, but she had developed feelings for Scanty herself. Maybe she got tired of men, maybe she earnestly developed feeling…regardless Panty did treat Scanty well. Scanty denied taking a position in the company, and mostly worked wherever she could.”

“…your mom had a job?”

“Yeah, that’s what I said. For a while, she didn’t want to burden Panty. She thought she would bring Panty down due to her lack of good business sense. They still saw each other each day, usually small meetings during Panty’s break.” Gee looked up to the ceiling of the room. “I think…mom had about seven jobs during that time? I can’t remember…”

She looked down to continue. “So my mother’s last job? Working at a motel. Panty was too tired to return to the apartment she had, because all CEOs had apartments before they get families.” Gee shrugged. “…at least according to Panty. Still, Scanty had to drag Panty to the motel room. And the two talked…” Gee trailed off. “And talked…” Gee again stopped. “…and they talked…” Gee let the subtext do the talking for her.

“You were born in a motel?” Anklet inferred. 

“…somewhat…” Gee blinked, keeping herself calm. “So when Scanty’s pregnancy was formally announced, both Stocking and Kneesocks forced the two to have a wedding. Panty did feel a little uneasy about it, but she did go through it.” And with a prideful smile and a finger pointing herself, “And a few months later, I was born!”

“And my mommy and my second mommy?” Anklet then asked.

Gee cleared her throat. “Stocking and Kneesocks did start to see each other, but not as often nor as romantic as my parents. The two still held a grudge back from Daten City, somewhat, and would fight in public. It hit a high time when the two fought in a sweet shop Stocking worked at part-time. The owner, who apparently dealt with this sort of thing back in his day, got the two to calm down and work at this story for free to pay for the damage. They spent the time together to get to known the other.”

“Funny how they don’t mention the shop…”

“Eh, the sweets there are a bit crap…” Gee then leapt over and covered Anklet’s mouth before the younger girl could call out for her mom. “…not this time! You already gotten me into trouble…and if you try anything later…just remember how those worms replaced your lunch a few months ago.” Anklet nodded out of fear. Gee slowly removed her hand before continuing. 

“So the two were at the wedding of my parents.” Gee stated. “And they thought, at least according to Scanty, that they should also get married. Stocking was the one who proposed, but she agreed with Kneesocks’ idea. They would set up a plan before they would go through getting a child and getting married.”

“Makes sense.” Anklet shrugged with a smile, but right before the smile faded when she asked. “Hey, if Kneesocks isn’t born in this country, how did she become district attorney?”

“The other lawyers were too stupid.” Gee handwaved before continuing. “While she ran for the position, Stocking worked her tail off to get her sweetshop up and running. It took a long time, it took some sweat and a couple of sacrifices, but she finally got the place standing tall.”

“And then they got married and had me!” Anklet jumped for joy. “Wow, so our parents’ pasts are long and complicated.”

“Keep this in mind.” Gee held up a finger. “I’m only retelling what Panty and Scanty told me. As far I as know?” She shrugged with a silly smile. “They’re a bunch of hicks…”

“My mom isn’t a hick!” Anklet screeched as slapped Gee across the face. “Take it back!”

“Okay, okay!” Gee profusely apologized while rubbing her face. She already lost dessert for two days, attacking Anklet would only triple the time. Besides, Gee DID start it. “Let’s just go to bed. It’s getting late.” Gee then groaned as she leapt into bed. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep in a few minutes without saying ‘good night’. Anklet did the same, only slower.

Anklet did feel a bit off put about knowing the truth about her family’s history, and wondered just how much of it actually was true. She would ask her own parents their side of the story one day, but it would be a few years before she could work up the courage to ask all the questions. 

The storm would soon subside and things would be back on track. But that would mean all the troubles the families had would start up again…


	13. Give Us Pause

Sleep.

Sleep.

Sleep dammit.

She did this all the damn time. Why the hell couldn’t she get any sleep?

The storm had passed, and life had gotten back on track for the two families. The play had moved forward to the final stages, and the first showing would be on this Saturday. But only if Panty could survive tonight and every night from this Sunday on. Scanty slept peacefully next to her, and Panty could hear through the thin walls the slight breathing of a sleeping Gee. If Stocking’s family still stuck around, Panty could hear their easy slumber and driven into a jealous fit.

Panty tried every technique possible to get even ansingle ounce of the precious dreamtime. She stripped down to her beautiful birthday suit. She then felt cold, even with the sheets. Panty substituted with a thin negligee that Scanty bought her on their first anniversary. Why did she feel so hot? Panty mixed and matched various sets of clothes. Too hot or too cold! Thinking of sleep, a mundane task, climbing of a mountain? For all that thinking she nearly got a headache. Rolling around? Well that just got her to fall off the bed and hit the floor with a mighty thud. Panty could hear Gee awaken in the other room. At least if Gee came into her mother’s room, she would see Panty in her sweat pants and tank-top. But Gee didn’t rise from her bed, and went back to sleep.

Panty went to the bathroom, closed the door behind her and turned on the light. She stared deep into the mirror. Her pretty face had aged in the ten years of being a normal human, but she still looked like the sexiest thing alive. But not at this point. Bags had started to form, and eyes were gaining a pink hue. Her hair was a mess from all the clothes changing and rolling around, but that was the least of her concerns.

The shaking had started again. Panty grabbed her quaking hand in a attempt to quell it, but soon both hands were shaking. Letting out a whimper, she knew she would need to take a pill to end the shaking. With a wild swing of her arm, she opened up the medicine cabinet to fetch her relief. 

But she gasped. Where did the bottle go? She put it there just this morning! She rooted around for it, not caring if a item clattered onto the floor or into the toilet. Her relief had vanished! She tried to figure out a good reason, but her nerves started to feel the tremors coming on. Panty decided to look into the trash can, in case Scanty threw away the bottle thinking it was old.

Yes!

Yes!

Panty reached past the snotty pink tissues to grab the bottle. With her hands going ballistic, she tore open the bottle’s cap and retrieved a single pill to swallow. Panty climbed into the dry tub to wait the effects to kick in. She started to pant out a dry moan. Her fingers travelled downward while the other touched down on her left breast. The self-massage started out slow as so Panty could ease into the pleasure as her mind swam.

“Dammit.” Panty muttered pathetically as she willed herself to stop. She knew better. She knew! She slammed down her fists into the tub. Panty bit her lip to somehow quell her wild desires. Tears wanted to surge out, but Panty kept them down. A entire minute of silence went by as Panty just sat in the tub. The door creaked open, and in came Scanty wearing her bathrobe.

“Something wrong?” She asked.

“Just…” Panty cleared her throat, trying to think of a decent excuse. “…feeling a bit conflicted.”

“Conflicted?” Scanty repeated as she bent down and laid her hand on the tub’s sides before placing a small peck on Panty’s cheek. “Something happened at work?” 

“…yeah.” Panty lied. “Yeah. I fired three people who staid on for a long time.” It wasn’t a lie, Panty did indeed terminate three contracts as those three divulged company secrets behind her back. She did feel sorry for at least one of them; a good friend who suggested a good gift for one anniversary. “But it’s more than that. I’m feeling…old, tired…I just haven’t had that spark of liveliness I used to have.” Panty forced out a sigh to make her point.

“Maybe you need a vacation.” Scanty as she started to stroke her hand through Panty’s hair. “You are the CEO, you should be able to arrange a few days off.”

“I wish I could…but my senses say if I left even for a single day, the company would tank.” Panty groaned. THAT wasn’t a blatant lie. Given how often her own employees would betray her one way or another, or weren’t competent at their own jobs, leaving for even a day could end the company she spent years building. Years of being the boss had made her believe that all of her employees were morons who couldn’t even tie their own shoelaces without falling down the stairs. In reality, she could take off for two weeks and the company wouldn’t even lose a penny. 

Besides, not going to work would mean finding a new excuse to see her new boyfriend.

And that made Panty a bit sick to her stomach. She loved Scanty. Any doubts about her commitment were long since sealed by the birth of Gee. She NEEDED Scanty. But She WANTED sexual satisfaction from a man. The need was far more important than the want, plus the want held far more dire consequences than the need. 

“Panty?” Scanty asked with greater concern. Panty had gone quiet for a minute with a sullen face. “Panty?” Scanty repeated as she gave Panty a gentle push. This awoke Panty from her little mental troubles. “Panty. Do you need a little…comfort?” Scanty reached out and firmly took ahold one of Panty’s breasts. “I know we haven’t had any sex in a while…”

“It’s fine…” Panty moaned out as Scanty worked her magic. “We shouldn’t do this while Gee is here…”

“I think Gee could stay at a friend’s for a night this week.” Scanty removed her hand from Panty’s breast. “We could use a little alone time anyway.” 

“Sure.” Panty sighed as she carefully stood up and got out the tub. “I should try to get some sleep…sorry for waking you up.” Her wife just shook her head with a calm smile and lead her back to the bedroom. Scanty said ‘good-night’ with a kiss on the lips before returning back to sleep. Panty took a deep breath before joining. She blinked a few times, emptied her mind of wayward thoughts and at long last entering a comfortable sleep.

Sadly, she only dreamt of a dashing man…


	14. Mystery, Oh Mystery

Going into Kneesock’s home office without permission would have dire consequences, regardless if she were there at the time of entry. Anklet never really got punished for intruding, save for that one time where she knocked over a tray of papers and had to clean up as punishment. Kneesocks just didn’t like people walking inside her office; just a pet peeve.

And yet, Anklet knocked on the door and asked to be let in.

“I’m not hungry Stocking.” Kneesocks stated through the door.

“It’s me mommy.” Anklet replied. “Can I come in?”

“Is it important?” Kneesocks groaned. The Great Dine-N-Dasher court day was coming up, and she needed to ready herself for the trial. Apparently, the man had gotten a better lawyer during the storm, one such lawyer that annoyed Kneesocks on previous occasions. She needed to be a little detached from her family life if she wanted to bring resolution to this headache of a case.

“It’s about Panty’s family.” Kneesocks looked up from her work, getting somewhat interested. “I think they’re in trouble.”

Kneesocks took a few seconds to consider it. Panty always was trouble, and could have easily gone back to her own ways, with Scanty and Gee being dragged along for the ride. Taking off her glasses and massaging her temples, she then ordered, “Come in.”

Anklet slowly walked into the office, and closed the door behind her by twisting the knob and holding it like that until the door was closed. The office remained the same way Anklet saw it about six months ago; messy with papers stacked all over, window blinds closed and dusty, and the bookshelf with a cracked shelf still remained broken and useless. Anklet made her way through the tower of books and sat down in the black leather chair.

“I’m guessing Gee told you something.” Kneesocks started, putting her glasses back on.

“Actually, it’s something I learned on my own.” Anklet reached down and pulled down the creases on her shirt. “I noticed, while we were at Auntie Panty’s house, that Panty was on the phone a lot.” She held up a hand. “It didn’t sound like her usual calls…this one sounded more…” She tapped her fingers together, trying to find words she wasn’t old enough to use. “…scared.”

“Scared?” Kneesocks’ hand touched her phone. In the past, people that Kneesocks took to court have threatened both Kneesocks and Scanty’s families. If the phone call Anklet overheard was a blackmailer (Possibly related to the deal Panty just made with Volcano & Blizzard) or someone related to the Great Dine-N-Dasher made a threat (God knows why anyone would commit a greater crime to save him) the family would need immediate protection.

“She didn’t sound like she got spooked…” Anklet tried to find a better descriptive word. “…worried?”

“She sounded she was about to get into trouble?” 

“Somewhat…” Anklet rocked her feet back and forth. “She blushed and told him to ‘not call him here.’”

“Him?”

“I could hear a boy’s voice.”

“Are you sure it’s a boy? This caller could be using a fake voice…”

“He sounded tough, just like Mr. Clarence.” Anklet mentioned her gym teacher, who Kneesocks had met before, and he did have a rather gruff voice. But the man himself had a gay lover and even outright admitted towards Kneesocks he never girls unattractive. Given his clean record, Kneesocks could believe him. “But he sounded younger...”

“And how is this important?” Kneesocks asked in her attorney’s voice.

“She seemed to be trouble with his boy.” Anklet tapped her fingers together. She really didn’t know how to respond to her ‘father’ when she put on her questioning airs. Again, she looked for the right way of responding. “She blushed, she undid her tie…”

“I think I get where this is going.” Kneesocks concluded. “Thank you Anklet. I’ll look into this, and report back to you when I get something.” Anklet slowly nodded and left the office without another word. Kneesocks didn’t say anything either, she just got to work writing down some possible ideas on Panty’s 

She hated her father…to a degree. Kneesocks could be a very loving parent, she did attend very significant event in Anklet’s life on time, but she acted way too professional around her. Whenever Kneesocks tried to say something positive towards her daughter, it came off as flat and forced. Her smile came off as being more…political and meant for taking photos, it’s that the word and phrase Anklet could use. 

From what Anklet learned, her parents were complete opposite even back then. Stocking used to be a slacker and someone who could just be as rude, maybe even more so than Panty. But after arriving in the states, she got more serious about her actions and acted kinder to everyone else. Anklet couldn’t even recall an single outburst from Stocking that didn’t last longer than a minute nor had a lasting effect beyond a hour, save for the Rubber Ball incident. She became a better person to support her daughter.

But Kneesocks barely changed. She no longer lived by her rules and stopped rolling her ‘r’s, but her calm professional demeanor stuck on. Events were organized way in advance, friends were scanned before being let inside the house, a court officer hung around whenever they went shopping…Kneesocks treated life like a private business with more scrutiny than Panty. And Anklet hated Kneesocks for it.

Not that she would tell her own ‘father’ out right. Anklet was just so confused. She put her hands in her pockets…forgetting she wore a skirt today. Exhaling, she made her downstairs, going past her birth-mother without saying anything to her. Stocking did ask how she was doing and raised a eyebrow when she didn’t get a answer. Noticing the door to Kneesocks’ was open, she climbed up the last part of the stairs and knocked on the door. “Kneesocks?” She asked.

Stocking could hear some a slight shuffling of papers before Kneesocks said, “Come in!” As she went in, Kneesocks’ desk looked somewhat clearer than before. “I will get to this mess eventually. I promise…”

“Actually.” Stocking held up a hand to stop her. “What was Anklet doing in here?”

“Something she wanted to keep private.” Kneesocks quickly and effectively lied. “Sorry.” 

“I shouldn’t interfere then.” Stocking shook her head. “You in the mood for some chicken sandwiches.”

“Lovely.” Kneesocks blew a kiss at Stocking. “Oh…and tonight?” Kneesocks flashed a smile. “I’ll wear my cowgirl costume…if you wear that nice maid outfit?” Stocking blushed and nodded her head before leaving. While the two were more reserved about their sexual life than their sisters, they did have their fantasies behind closed doors.

But seriously? Now a third cloud came over the household. Stocking suspected her sister of cheating, Kneesocks had a idea that her sister-in-law had a affair, and Anklet had the answer to her parent’s questions, but couldn’t remember it nor comprehend it.

The string that kept the family closely-knitted had started to unravel…


	15. Sexual Interlude

The special night when the children are out of the way is special to both families.

While Gee could be awoken with a dropped pin, Panty had set up soundproof walls and got a specialized bedcover that suppressed most noises. The night they would go at it was the night when Gee needed her pill to get to sleep and thus would at least sleep normally. Panty and Scanty can make love without having their daughter awaken and joining them in their room. Panty had always been on top, and Scanty enjoyed being on bottom. They experimented over the years with different sexual practices. A little bit of BDSM came around during Gee’s baby years; safe practice but ended when the excitement died down and when Gee started to develop her insomnia. A little bit of rough sex came, but it stopped not too long after it started, with Panty spending various weeks apologizing to Scanty, who didn’t feel no wrong was performed.

Anklet’s innocence and stone dead slumber made things easier for Stocking and Kneesocks. Not that they really had a strong sexual drive. In the foundation of their relationship, the sexual needs only amounted to a few bricks randomly placed around. From time to time, Stocking would show off a leg or pull down a dress from across the room towards Kneesocks, but never in public or even around Anklet. Stocking and Kneesocks kept it simple. Just naked bed-romping. Nothing too silly, outside of a few role-play moments. Kneesocks would wear one of her court suits while Stocking would put on a maid’s outfit or just wear an apron. But Stocking never wore those outfits outside their room. Nothing too explicit, nothing overdramatic, just good clean sex.

Neither family used ‘that’ special technique they used years ago. Handling one child was enough.

Tonight’s entertainment was nothing really different for the two couples. Stocking and Kneesocks collapsed into a steady slumber after finishing, but Panty and Scanty remained awake.

“Feeling better?” Scanty asked, covering her naughty parts with the warm sheets.

“Yes.” Panty plainly stated.

“Doesn’t sound like it.” Scanty looked on with a concerned look. “At least you look better.”

“Thanks.” Panty put on an easy smile, trying to avoid this line of questioning. “I…feel tired, that’s all.”

“Tired?” Scanty looked on with amazed eyes. “You. Tired after sex?”

“I don’t have my old stamina any more.” Panty defended herself. “I used to screw guys all the time in my prime, when I was a supernatural being. Now that I’m a human, I no longer have the power to plow ten guys at once. And now I’m getting beyond my prime, I’m starting to fall behind in my great talent.” Panty rolled over in the sheets to face away from Scanty. “Good night!”

“Panty, do we need to see the doctor again?” Scanty asked with great concern.

“No.” Panty quickly shot back. “I might feel somewhat bad…but not that bad. Please, let me sleep. We can talk in the morning, foxy.” Panty let out a weak sexy roar right before closing her eyes and focusing on getting sleep. Scanty wanted to continue, but she decided to get some sleep. The time had gotten late, and final rehearsals of the play were starting tomorrow. Scanty turned in, snuggling up close to her wife.

Stocking and Kneesocks laid hand-in-hand together in bed, contently smiling.


	16. Poison Her Delight

“You have little cause to say so.”

“Come on, come on; you are pictures out of doors, bells in your parlors, wild-cats in your kitchens, saints in your injuries, devils being offended, players in your housewifery, and housewives' in your beds.”

“O, fie upon thee, slanderer!”

“Nay, it is true, or else I am a Turk: You rise to play and go to bed to work.”

“You shall not write my praise.”

Both Kneesocks and Stocking held their breath. Scanty was killing it.

The first day of the play had arrived with thunderous applause from the audience and from a critic the two families ran into during the act intermission. Even the usually distracted Anklet seemed to be captivated by the immense tragedy of the Moor of Venice. Now that Emilia had finally appeared in person to disembark to Cyprus, the two Anarchy families could enjoy the months of effort that Scanty had put into her role.

Save for Panty…of course. The hot pains were getting worse. And Panty took plenty of medicine…she emptied the bottle of pills. But they weren’t working. At all. Panty was starting to sweat profusely and her mind drifted away from the play and into her lusty thoughts of hunky men with huge…spinning…penises…

…this was it.

Now Panty started to sweat for different reasons. So far, she managed to kept her little affairs and her lustful thoughts secret from her family and friends. That was a bad thing obviously. But she made sure not to go out in public with others for extended periods of time without a plan in mind. Seeing how she paid for the theatre and agreed to see her wife act, Panty hoped to have cured her little urges by this point.

But no.

No.

Panty had to really, really, REALLY keep her fingers in her pockets so they wouldn’t dive into her pants and begin massaging. The one saving grace was how dark the theater would get during the play, so Stocking and Panty’s right neighbor couldn’t notice the great pain coming upon Panty’s face. But the thing they would notice would be Panty getting up every so often to head into the bathroom; at the very least Stocking would think Panty had a STD. Panty could feel the pressure was too much to be relieved in just one trip. Man, she would need a big strong man…like the dude that plays that moor…

Just a few more scenes.

Another intermission. Twenty minutes one. Enough for a quickie. Just grab man and fuck him mad.

Fuck him mad. Eh. Out, damned slut!

Just a few more minutes…ten minutes?

Ah fuck it.

FUCK IT!

“ ‘cuse me!” Panty whispered as she nudged through the line down the opposite direction of her family. Stocking didn’t even notice! Good!

Panty scanned the main hall for any signs of doable life. The lifeforms were fairly scattered around the place and most of them were either the caters readying for the banquet or the stagehands taking a small break from messing around with the props. Now the caters would be missed given the small but highly effective company that Panty hired…but there were plenty of stagehands to go around and some of those guys had spent plenty of time moving around heavy props and were sweaty…

…there. Dirty blonde muscular man, stood a foot taller than her and seemed to be on break, what with him downing a can of cheap beer. Biting her lip and hiking a section of her dress to show a bit more leg, she descended down the stairs like a shining starlet while whistling to gain the man’s attention. He picked up the tune and followed it like a dog to the bell. It didn’t take much coxing for him to spend the next thirty minutes in the old broom closet. A bit dirty…but yeah…Panty didn’t mind.

And thus came the metaphorical straw that would break the camel’s back. 

The walls. Of the broom closet. They were never made to be soundproof.

After Iago declares his intentions, Stocking just noticed that her sister had vanished. While her first thought lead to the obvious conclusion of the restroom run, her paranoia lead Stocking to think: ‘Panty isn’t that stupid!’ So Stocking ignored Anklet to go after and look for Panty. Kneesocks groaned as she had to handle two children. Stocking opened her nose and held up her gown as she descended down the stairs, following whatever smell she could get herself hooked on. Once more Stocking sought out the familiar smell of mixed gender sweat, crushed male hopes, and inflated feminine ego. 

But instead of her smelling Panty out, she instead heard the familiar noise of Panty’s sexual grunts. All of Stocking’s worse fears had just been confirmed. Without a moment’s hesitation, she swung open the door to the broom closet.

“STOCKING-“ Panty started to shout the moment the door opened, but Stocking let out a loud angry hiss that got Panty to discontinue from talking. Nonverbally, Stocking ordered the two to redress and get the man to uncomfortably place his still extended member back into his pants. With a nod of her head, Stocking ordered the stagehand to quickly leave the closet. Stocking waved a finger with a unflinching face and started to calmly walk off in the direction of the restrooms. Panty followed swiftly behind. Once the two had entered, Stocking locked the door behind them to ensure privacy.

“I knew it.” Stocking threw up her hands. “For the love of god, why?” She kept her tone as calm as possible. Hopefully this could resolved without anyone else knowing…and that stagehand would be smart enough to keep quiet…

“I dunno know.” Came Panty’s rushed response. Stocking took ahold of the faucet’s neck and squeezed it tight. “It just happened…”

“BULLSHIT!” Stocking screamed. Panty jumped and fell onto her rear. “Just happened over how long?” Stocking walked over and stared at Panty. “Tell me!” She reached down and yanked Panty off the ground. “Did you ever give a damn about Scanty and Gee?”

“I do!” Panty held her hands up in defense. “I do! I just got weak, that’s all!”

“You’re lying!” Stocking gritted out. “HOW LONG?”

“Six months!” Panty screamed out. “Ever since my appointment with the doctor!”

“Wha…” Stocking took a second to think about that before returning to the interrogation. “Look, of all the nights to get into your little affair problem, IT HAD TO BE THE NIGHT WHERE SCANTY IS ACTING?”

“I wasn’t planning on catching on getting caught!” Panty defended herself, her lust overriding logic once more. 

“And you would think this would somehow work?” Stocking shook Panty, now letting her anger get the best of her. “Scanty isn’t the cold bitch she was in Daten! She has become more reserved! She can’t take this sort of shit!”

“That was a mistake!” Panty shot back. “She shouldn’t have gotten pregnant! I didn’t want a damn child!”

Before Stocking could retort, a loud gasp could be heard from the other side of the door. Stocking didn’t recognize the identity, until she looked down to see Panty’s wide eyes and frozen stare. It didn’t take long for Stocking to pick up the hint as well. Stocking let go of Panty and went over and unlocked the door.

As expected from Panty’s truly terrified reaction, Scanty, still in her full costume as Emilia, stood there totally petrified. 

Tears had started to form and drip down her eyes as she tried to desperately hold onto any shred of trust that were being sucked away like a hurricane. Panty slowly got up and tried to approach her wife, but Scanty just screamed and ran away, tearing her costume and ruining the makeup in the process. “Scanty!” Panty ran after the fleeing woman, her panties falling down to her ankles and causing her to trip. A crowd had gathered for the intermission and started to mutter, rumor and take photos of this event. 

Here it was. 

Famous fashion designer Panty Anarchy cheats on wife during play.

But Panty didn’t care. All she could care about was that hunky man…


	17. None Of Us Can Be Heroes

The car ride back went in complete silence. No radio playing some outdated or overhyped tune, the kids didn’t tell any stories or play games, and nobody went for a cellphone for anysort of entertainment.

Kneesocks had honestly considered leaving Panty at the theater. Scanty had taken Panty’s family car, leaving Kneesocks to ferry Panty and Gee across town. While Gee had no idea what exactly transpired in the theater restroom, it wouldn’t be fair to her if Kneesocks and Stocking left her father behind. Panty went into the backseat without protest and nervously settled in between the two kids. Kneesocks made sure to hold back her anger and consider the right words on the way back home.

“Children, head upstairs.” Stocking quietly ordered once they arrived. “Me and Kneesocks need to talk with Panty alone.” While they two could only guess, the two did know that Panty was in big trouble. The adults settled in the kitchen awaiting to hear the child room’s door close before launching into their tirades. Panty sat down alone at the table. With the door up the stairs shutting, Kneesocks started out with a very blunt attack.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” She gritted through her teeth. 

“I dunno…” Panty looked away before Kneesocks grabbed her head with both hands and turned it back towards her. 

“Not a good answerrr!” Kneesocks unconsciously went back into her old habit of rolling her ‘r’s. Stocking recognized it, but Kneesocks continued. “You prrromised! I made you swearrr at your OWN WEDDING to not betrrray my sisterrr!”

“Please stop with the ‘r’s.” Panty half-heartily brought up. Stocking groaned. Her own sister just sunk her defense.

“THAT’S NOT THE POINT!” Kneesocks slapped Panty on the cheek. “The point is that you scarred my sister and your own daughter! I don’t know where Scanty is right now; she isn’t answering her cell phone. Do you have any idea where she ran off to?”

“I dunno…” Panty turned around once more, ignoring the slap and the harsh tone.

“Think Panty.” Stocking stepped forward, having previously kept to the sidelines. “Scanty isn’t the same one from Daten City. She can’t face this alone…think of Gee.”

“I said I don’t know…” Panty repeated as she continued to look away from her sister and sister-in-law. She fidgeted in her seat like a second-grader and rocked back and forth.

“She’s gone bye-bye.” Stocking muttered under her breath. She continued her good cop routine while Kneesocks grumbled something incoherent to herself while restraining herself to not slap Panty again. “Panty?” Stocking placed a firm hand on Panty’s chin and turned her head forward. “I need you to think. Where would Scanty go? She’s in distress…a restaurant, a library…”

“Motel.” Panty blinked. “Motel Ford. We fucked there…”

“Language.” Kneesocks reminded with a death glare.

“…we fucked there for the first time.” Panty once more repeated as if she hadn’t heard the last remark. “Motel Ford.”

“Fine.” Kneesocks growled as she turned back to Stocking. “Stay here with the kids and this…” She pointed a trembling finger at Panty. “…bitch.” The word came out like a admittance of guilt. “I’ll go get Scanty, and she can decide what to do with the cow.”

“What should I tell them?” Stocking asked sincerely and with the same tone that Panty spoke with now.

“Tell them it’s going to be all right.” Kneesocks waved her hand. “Don’t go into details.”

“What about Gee?” Stocking’s tone went upward into becoming direct. “As a lawyer…”

“District Attorney.” Kneesocks ‘poliety’ reminded her wife.

“You know this won’t end with Panty and Scanty staying together.” Stocking pointed out. “Scanty is going to want a divorce, and that’s going to tear Gee up. Scanty will demand that Panty doesn’t get visitation rights. I can’t lie towards Gee like that.” Stocking sighed as she got closer towards Kneesocks. “I’m not asking if I could go and help with Scanty, but I can’t tell Gee it will be okay.”

“Then tell her to worry.” Kneesocks grunted, throwing up her arms. “I don’t know. I’m not into parenting, you know that. Shit, I knew this would happen after Anklet told me about Panty’s little phonecall…”

“Wait wait.” Stocking held up a hand. “What phonecall? And what did Anklet tell you?”

Kneeosocks’ mean demeanor went away as soon as she realized her mistake. But seeing no way out of this, she decided to confess. “A week ago, Anklet came into my office to tell me about a phonecall she overheard during the stormy weekend…she didn’t overhear the full thing nor understand the whole thing. But I do know that Panty had a affair…”

“And you didn’t think it would be fair to tell me.” Stocking rapped a hand on her chest. “Your wife. Her sister. I’ll could ended this without having Scanty running off…”

“Her fights aren’t yours.” Kneesocks got uppity towards her wife. “She promised me and Scanty not to break the weddings vows, and she did! You knew that she wouldn’t keep to that, which is why you joked about the whole promise during the dinner!”

“I gave her a benefit of the doubt! I hoped that she would keep to the promise she made to you…”

“Of course! That’s the fucking obvious!” Kneesocks’ anger boiled over and she broke the rule she just tried to enforce on Panty a few minutes ago. “Panty is a bitch! That’s her entire personality! You know what, I’m surprised she even bothered to keep up this façade for this long!”

“That’s enough!” Stocking raised her voice to match Kneesock’s.

“Are you defending that cow!?” Kneesocks growled. 

“No, but the kids!”

“Forget about them, this is about Panty! She has done things to my sister that I shall never forgive her…”

“Shut up mommy.”

Kneesocks let out a rather wimpy whimper as she turned around and looked down to see a very angry Anklet looking right into her eyes. She hadn’t changed into her pajamas, meaning she had been listening into the conservation the entire time. The adults only heard a door closing and not the sound of two people walking into the room.

“Go to your room.” Kneesocks demanded with her authoritve voice. “This is none of your of business…”

“Gee is crying!” Anklet burst out, surprising even Kneesocks. “She figured it out already! Her mommy isn’t coming back! And you two are only making things worse!”

“We’re trying to make things better.” Kneesocks put on a ‘calming’ smile. She approached her daughter with her arms open for a hug. Anklet backed off. “We’re are trying to fix a problem…”

“Shut up!” Anklet screamed out loud with tears starting to form in his eyes. “I hate you! You always acting like a lawyer! The other kids have mommies and daddies that cheer them on! You can’t even smile!”

“Honey…” Kneesocks nervously got down onto one

“Keep away!” Anklet screamed as she slapped her mother in the face and then running up the stairs. Kneesocks didn’t react or even moved from that spot for a good minute, listening into thw quiet sobs of her own daughter up in her room. Stocking had been frozen as well since Anklet came downstairs. She finally approached her wife and laid a hand on her shoulder.

This snapped Kneesocks back into reality. “I’ll go get Scanty. Watch after the kids.” She brushed off Stocking’s hand and grabbed her things to head out. Stocking remained quiet as she watched the woman she committed her life and love to just leave without trying to fix the situation she just created. While Panty did incite the fire, Kneesocks made no attempt to put it out and instead only threw in more firewood. Kneesocks had forgotten her new family. She only cared for her sister now…

Stocking remembered her wedding day. Much like how Kneesocks feared that Panty would break Scanty’s heart, Stocking had the fear that Kneesocks wouldn’t change one bit…and get even colder…


	18. Close Your Eyes

Kneesocks did a little research on her phone before setting off. Motel Ford did have a rather interesting relationship with law enforcement. For starters, many crimes had been committed here from the minor robberies to the major of murders, but Kneesocks could say the same of any hotel in the city proper regardless of the amount of stars they earned. But to the motel’s credit, at least the staff cooperated with the police and once even took down a drug dealer. The police officer Kneesocks contacted gave a theory that perhaps the staff were criminals themselves that exposed other criminals to hide their own activities. 

But Kneesocks cared not for the motel itself, but rather one of the guests. 

If Panty could believed at this point, then Scanty would be here. Or not. Why would Scanty go there? Yes, Scanty and Panty had their first sexual encounter there and that’s where Gee got conceived inside of Scanty. But that’s where Panty cheated on Scanty. What would Scanty do? Sit in their old room? Cheat on Panty under her own terms?

…burn down the place?

Scanty did have the power to make some minor crimes sweep under the rugs. But arson couldn’t be ignored. Kneesocks pressed hard down on the pedal to go as fast under the limit. 

She didn’t bother heading to the front desk. During the drive, she started to recall some old stories that a drunk Panty would tell on the weekends. Room…room…Building C, Room 24. Heading to the third building and going up stairs to the second flight, Kneesocks followed the even numbered doors with dread building up inside of her. Thirty rooms in each building…damn, Room 24 just happened to be near the end. Just to make this journey even more torturous!

Room 24.

There’s the doorknob. Smudged with a hundred finger prints and never cleaned. Kneesocks couldn’t tell if it was locked or not. She just wanted to barge in and deal with this problem. Kneesocks wanted to go home to her family and let her daughter jump into her arms and enjoy a delicious meal from her beloved. She wanted have a conservation with her sister…but she want to go back to enjoying Saturday nights with her sister-in-law in a bar? Kneesocks didn’t drink all that much, just enough to have all her thoughts in line and call a cab for the more rowdy drunk. She never wanted to drink heavily in public…but…

Dammit. Kneesocks gritted her teeth and opened the door.

“Oh.” Scanty and her male friend turned towards the ajar door, not getting up from their sitting position on the bed. Scanty wore a very simple set of underwear so she could slip in and out of her costumes, and her male friend had on his black work pants and work shoes, and his white crew shirt had cleanly folded and placed over the back of a chair. While the two wore less than the normal, it seems like Kneesocks caught the two in the middle of an conservation. “Kneesocks? How did you find me?” Scanty asked, sounding confused and not even.

“Uh….” Kneesocks found herself at a very strong loss of words. Here she expected to have a calming speech planned out for Scanty, but this wasn’t something she planned for nor could really expect. She stood with her mouth hanging open for a good solid ten seconds before saying right off her tongue: “Remembered a conservation with Panty. Remembered this room.” Soon after saying that, Kneesocks couldn’t say much again.

“Ah.” Scanty wrung her hands, also looking for a conservation topic. “This is Leo, he works at the drugstore up the way.” Leo waved towards Kneesocks. Despite the huge cloud hanging over the sisters, Leo acted like this was normal. “We were just talking about things…”

“Things.” Kneesocks repeated. 

“Yeah.” Scanty confirmed with a sigh. “Sorry Leo. But I think my sister and I will want privacy.” Leo sighed, but he continued to smile as he put back on his shirt and nudged past Scanty. As soon as the noise of a car turning over and driving off came upon their ears, Scanty placed a hand next to her on the bed, inviting Kneesocks to sit down. Rather reluctantly, (Not because of the situation itself, but rather because the bed didn’t look that clean.) Kneesocks sat down next to her sister. Now she was in the room proper, Kneesocks could see Scanty’s dress from Othello had been neatly taken off and then properly hung up in the closet. Kneesocks had read cases and even visited some of the more messy scenes of affairs, but this one had to be the cleanest one yet.

“I went to the drugstore for eyedrops.” Scanty started her story. “Leo noticed my tears first, not once did he ask about my dress.” She rocked her feet back and forth. “He took me to the employee backroom and gave me a cup of coffee to calm my nerves. We chatted for a few minutes, talked about…things.” Kneesocks nodded. “I mentioned my destination…said I was only going to spend the night and consider my options. He asked, seeing how he was getting off work in a bit, offered to spend some time with me….” Scanty sighed. “As you can see…I took up his offer.”

“But did you actually…” Kneesocks asked with a worried look.

“No.” Scanty’s lip quivered. “Did you see him? A former quarterback for his school, right now working his way through college. About the nicest person I ever met too. He saw a picture of Gee and he just cooed at it. He’s strong, handsome, kind…he’s a perfect man in short.” Now tears returned, and the floodgates were about to burst wide open. “We got this far…only twenty minutes ago. Cold feet!” She faked out a laugh. “So we spent that time before you arrived just talking…in our underwear….”

“Scanty, it’s all right.” Kneesocks tried to comfort her sister by engaging her within a hug. “You did the right thing; you didn’t give into temptation.”

“But…” Scanty tried to speak, but the tears forming in her eyes just made her voice lose all strength. “…but…” She buried her head into Kneesock’s chest. “…but I still l love Panty…” Her voice became all drowned out by her intense crying. “…I still love Panty…”

Kneesocks sighed. She figured this would be the case. Dammit. Panty had screwed over Scanty in more than one way. The first crime committed was to take the strong Scanty and turn her into a dependent stay-at-home mother and the second crime took advantage of the weaker personality and dealt a severe emotional blow to Scanty. Panty could only be tried in court for cheating on her spouse, but Kneesocks would find a way to make Panty pay…

…but as the hug and the crying continued, Kneesocks found herself back at her own home instead of Scanty’s. Anklet slapped her. Her own daughter slapped her. Why did her own daughter slap her? Anklet had no reason to slap her, let alone hate her! Kneesocks gave Anklet plenty! The necessary food, water, clothes and shelter. If she’s been good, she would get toys and whatever kids want. She would get a good education, have a running car with at least seven years left when she turned sixteen, and would get into her college of choice! What more would could she need? Was she getting greedy and selfish…

“And you two are only making things worse!”

Kneesocks had to shake her head at this. How could she be making things worse? As a district attorney, it was her job to fix problems. And she did a great job at fixing things! And now, with the current issue? Scanty had been found, and thus repairs could be made. A case against Gee’s ‘father’ could be made and thus they could remove the bad influence…

“You’re always acting like a lawyer!”

What? Given the current situation, Kneesocks held back from let out a little chuckle. That wasn’t a lie. She acted like a lawyer because she is a lawyer! Professionalism goes a long way, in and out of the courtroom. Those defense lawyers would literally kill for a chance to beat her by any means necessary! A photograph of her doing something immature could be used against her. ‘I have photographic evidence that the DA plays with dolls, and therefore she can’t make a opinion on this case.’ These lawyers were blood-thirsty! And they did this before; they once tried to use a picture of her buying diapers during a abduction case. Besides, the world isn’t a harsh one; one that would drag Anklet down if she didn’t get the proper preparations…

“The other kids have mommies and daddies that cheer them on!”

…okay. So Kneesocks really didn’t get much involved in Anklet’s activities. Anklet did a lot of physical sports, soccer came first but she recently got into American football. Such a barbaric sport; Kneesocks wouldn’t be seen dead at that sort of event. And Anklet did have more mentally-engaging activities, but Kneesocks had more important things to do. Keeping the streets safe so Anklet can attend such events without the fear of having a crazy gunman barging in. Anklet was strong, yeah definitely. She wouldn’t suffer from this small thing. Anklet would just continue to smile…

“You can’t even smile!”

…why was that important? Why? Plenty of people smile, all for different reasons! Kneesocks usually saw smiles on the faces of the criminals, the lawyers about to win the case…in such a world full of liars and cheats, a smile had to be honest to be take seriously! People that smile all the time…Kneesocks couldn’t trust them. Her daughter did try to smile all the time, and look where it got her…

“Kneesocks?” Scanty asked. “Are you okay?”

“No.” Kneesocks broke off the hug. “Not, it’s not.” She started to tear up. “Before I came here…Anklet confronted me. She said…somethings.”

“Did you punish her?”

“She punished me in fact.” Kneesocks placed a hand on the cheek that Anklet slapped. “For not being a good parent.” She sniffed, trying to repress the tears. But such walls couldn’t hold, and instead gave away towards a little mad thought that made Kneesocks spoke her mind for the first time. “Funny thing? About that? Panty’s a good parent. Plays with the kids. Supported them emotionally, physically, mentally. Attends their events, on time.”

“Stop.” Scanty held up a hand. “Panty runs her own business. She sets up her own times to come into work, if she feels like going out of the house. And when Gee has something going on, Panty will schedule around it. Your job is political, you don’t get to assign your hours. And you help keep the streets clean…”

“That doesn’t fucking matter!” Stocking shouted, pounding the bed with her fists. “My daughter hates me! And she has every reason to do so! I don’t really give a damn about her, just my job! I’ve been nothing but a colossal bitch to her, and Anklet deserves better!”

Scanty found herself forgetting about her current issue and looking at her sister. The strong Kneesocks, unwavering in any situation, always holding a great deal of confidence upon her shoulders, hardly used any sort of curses…but this wasn’t Kneesocks in front of her anymore. Much more like…Scanty. Emotional, swears like a sailor at the drop of a hat…Scanty looked at the old version of herself. That one…that personality he she no longer wanted. Losing Daten City and her powers carved a deep hole into Scanty. One moment she had everything and in a huge flash of light everything was taken. Hell, her old self got taken away too. Whenever Scanty remembered the ‘old days’…

…she flinched, her nose would scrunch up, and her chest felt heavy.

“Kneesocks.” Scanty calmly whispered. “Kneesocks. Please don’t cry. You’re a good parent, you just haven’t been involved as much as others. Anklet is only 8, you got plenty of time to improve and be the parent she needs.” Kneesocks just shook her head as she continued to sob. “You can do it. Just plan it out. Let go of Daten City…”

“LET GO?” Kneesocks bellowed, making Scanty jump off the bed. “Nerverrr! That’s when we werrre at ourrr best! We werrre actually living…instead of this pathetic excuse…” Kneesocks couldn’t find the right words. “…you used to be tough! You used to be aggrrressive! You were a prrroud demon, and now you arrre just a sad little woman who can’t defend herrrself!”

For the second time tonight, Kneesocks got slapped by a family member.

“I give up.” Kneesocks sighed as she laid down on the bed. “I should just move out of the house. At this rate, I’m going to piss off Stocking. And if I’m lucky, Gee will slap me as well.”

“You need to calm down and think.” Scanty begged. “Please. Just forget about work for now, just think about your family.” Kneesocks didn’t move, but she did close her eyes and let out a breath. “Just think about Stocking and Anklet. Nobody else.” Stocking cleared her head about any work-related material and went back in time. Her first date with Stocking in that café near the shore, the car ride they shared on the way out east, the two of them ganging up on Panty after learning she somehow knocked up Scanty, attending the wedding, getting jobs in their hometown, the two of them ganging up on Panty to ask how she knocked up Scanty, how Stocking kissed her when then tests came back positive…

“Are you okay?” Scanty asked.

Kneesocks went over to the memories of Anklet next, drowning out the world around her. Spending two hours in the hospital waiting for the conclusion to the nine long months of dealing with a pregnant Stocking, her first sight of her offspring all cuddled in that maternity blanket, all those little problems that baby Anklet put the two through, Anklet’s first word of ‘cake’, Anklet scoring her first goal in soccer and how she skinned her knees and held back crying until they got home, that little scare where she accidently cut herself and made jokes throughout the process of healing her…”

“Scanty.” Kneesocks simply stated as she kept her eyes closed. “Do you miss Daten City? And the old days?”

“Once.” Scanty sighed. “Once, before Gee.”

“Me, somewhat.” Kneesocks opened her eyes and followed the rotating fan blades. She kept her eyes focused on one blade in particular. “We were stronger then, that’s probably the reason. I wouldn’t going back to that…but then again, I haven’t changed all that much. I’m still bossy, professional, and a enforcer of rules.” That one blade became more distinct than the rest and lost the blur. “Panty hasn’t changed much, but much more than me. Is it too late to change?” Kneesocks turned towards her sister.

“It’s never too late.” Scanty laid down next to Kneesocks. “Anklet is still eight. You got a decade and possibly even more than that to be a better parent.”

“A decade…” Kneesocks repeated. “I’m going to need some help.”

“I’m right here.” Scanty nudged her sister. “Call me, come see me at my house…I will help you.”

Silence for the next four hours.


	19. Sour Ingredients For A Sweet Dish

At least things got quieter. Panty remained on the couch with a solid face and the kids remained in their rooms, Gee’s crying haven subsided. Stocking took this time to clean up the house a bit to calm her nerves and consider what to do next. 

Kneesocks had pushed some buttons that didn’t need to be pressed. While she did have the right idea behind her, her cold lawyer act only made drew the family apart. Both of them. Panty had a lot to answer for, but right now she couldn’t say anything. Stocking checked on Panty every so often to see if she had changed in anyway. No change in facial emotion, barely twitches of movement, and the only sound she made was the occasional labored breath. Seemed like Panty had fallen into her own little world where she became quite stuck in. Stocking could only wonder as to what went through her mind now. Regret perhaps? A reset to the old days? Multiple questions stacking up with no answers in sight and even more consequences being heaped on? Hard to tell what went through her mind now.

Stocking sat down. She did everything she could think to do now. But maybe now it would be the best time to have a talk with Anklet and settle things with her. Stocking rounded up the stairs and went up to the top while thinking about what she would say. ‘Forgive her?’ Weak, and no way would Anklet buy that. ‘She’s emotional.’ No, that wouldn’t work as Kneesocks kept her emotions on the down-low, something that made Anklet slap her in the first place. There’s not much that Stocking could say to pacify Anklet’s rage. But she had to try. Anklet might change for the worse because of this…

…Gee would require her own family to fully resolve her own issues. Stocking could get the wheel rolling, but she would need help from her own mothers. 

Anklet was doodling furiously in her sketchpad as Stocking watched through the crack in the door. Stocking worried that those drawings would reflect her current mood and paint a very grim picture of what Anklet saw her ‘father’ as. Stocking ducked her head out of the crack and rapped on the door three times. “Come in.” Anklet sighed as she turned the pencil around and scrubbed hard on the paper, tearing it. She let out a controlled growl of frustration.

“You okay, honey?” Stocking politely asked. 

“Ask Gee, she’s perfectly fine.” Anklet sneered with a lower voice. “Don’t be asking me about how I’m doing!” She got up and furrowed her brows, staring intently at her mother. “Gee’s sleeping now, but she’s having nightmares!” Anklet pointed over to her niece. Gee laid in the second bed, still dressed in her formal dress, and she had a pained look on her face as she slept.

“Then-n…” Stocking stopped herself short to get herself to quit muttering and continue with a solid voice. “…can we go to my room then?” She put on a forced smile. “I want to talk to you alone…”

“Fine, sure, fine.” Anklet groaned as she threw down her sketchpad and darted past her mother to head in first. Stocking took another deep breath. This wouldn’t be easy. She followed her daughter, closing the doors quietly to not awake the still fragile and cracking Gee. Anklet awaited her mother sitting on the bed with arms crossed. Stocking joined her.

“So.” Stocking cleared her throat. 

“Get going.” Anklet impatiently demanded. 

“Anklet, what you did to Kneesocks today…”

“I’m not apologizing!” Anklet pouted. “Kneesocks has always been bad! She’s always been this cold! I don’t want her as a mother! I don’t want her!” She punched her knees in protest. 

“Don’t you have a few friends that act the same…”

“I have no friends like that!” Anklet protested. “If they did act like that, I would never be friends with them again! I would ignore them! I wouldn’t hang around them any more!” She looked at her mother with such angry eyes. “Mom, you aren’t helping at all!” She jumped off the bed and went over to the door to leave already.

“Anklet! Please!” Stocking pleaded, getting desperate. 

“Please what?” Anklet turned around; her face getting pinker. With her demonic red skintone, that meant that Anklet was getting progressively angrier. “Kneesocks and Panty have made everything bad! Panty broke Scanty and Gee’s heart, and Kneesocks doesn’t care! She never cared about anyone other than herself and Scanty!”

“That’s not true…”

“Gee told me!” Anklet screamed. “She told me about Daten City!” Stocking gasped. “Yeah!” Anklet took advantage of her mother’s surprise to continue the assault. “You used to be a terrible person! You stole everyone’s snacks and you even killed Panty! All of you were terrible people!”

“I changed.” Stocking trembled. “I changed for this new life with Kneesocks, for you…”

“Real wonderful!” Anklet shouted back. “You went from a fattie to a weenie!” At least the childish vocabulary gave Stocking a chance to recover a bit. “Scanty went from a mean jerk into a weenie! But Kneesocks and Panty only pretended to change! They’re still the same!”

“No, they’re not.” Stocking insisted, getting closer to her angry daughter. “Honestly, they’re not the same! Panty’s just having some problems…”

“Stop!” Anklet screamed out again. “Stop!” She repeated, her eyes getting misty. “Stop.” She repeated once more. “Please stop. Please stop protecting them. Please.” Her voice became drowned out in thick sobs. “I just want things to be right. Normal!” She shrieked. “Mommy! I want things to be normal!” 

Finally, the anger dissolved into sadness and Anklet bawled it all out. Her knees gave up and fell to the floor into a sobbing mess. “Mommy!” She cried. Soon her voice just became incoherent blubbering. Stocking slowly approached her wreck of a daughter and tenderly got her arms around the poor girl. Stocking gently picked Anklet up and carried her back to the bed.

It took ten minutes for Anklet to stop crying. Stocking didn’t say anything, just waited next to her daughter and kept her warm.

“Mommy?” Anklet asked with a weak voice, her face still fluctuating different shades of red. “Can Kneesocks change? Can she actually be my daddy…or my second mommy?”

Stocking considered her answer for a second before answering with a clear voice. “I used to hog all the sweets for myself back in my day. I could be just as bad or even as worse than the old Panty. Honestly? At some points, the rule-heavy Kneesocks and Scanty were more closer to the good guys.” Stocking started to uncomfortably laugh recalling all those fond moments. “Gawd, I was terrible!” She managed to get herself under control to continue. “But I had fun while it lasted…”

“Did you actually kill Panty?”

“Yes.” Stocking bluntly admitted. “Somewhat. She fell into pieces. Angelic energy and all that.” Stocking waved it off, not really wanting to discuss killing the person responsible for this entire situation. “But when we were stripped of power and Daten City was dragged under…the four of us became little kids with no idea of how to live in the real world. We had to adapt…and…” Stocking sighed. “We had to give up a lot to make it. I had to lose a few pounds, give up a lot of sweets, had to get up and actually do things for myself…I grew up.”

“Did…” Anklet asked, taking this all in. “…did you enjoy it?”

Stocking sighed. “Somewhat. I hated it, of course. Imagine if you went without dessert for a week!” That made Anklet gasp out loud. A little of her natural skin color started to return to her face. “But as things got better, I got used to it. For a while, I still wanted to go back to Daten City and live that lifestyle.” Stocking laid on her back and looked up at the ceiling. “But Scanty had Gee, and me and Kneesocks started to get serious in our own relationship.” Anklet joined her mother of staring at the empty ceiling. “Soon, my business took off, me and Kneesocks got married…we had you…” She tapped Anklet on the cheek, making her giggle. “…and the zeal of the old lazy days faded away. Some days I just wake up and immediately regret my old self.”

“If you have a choice to go back…” Anklet started.

“I don’t want you to leave you behind.” Stocking instantly replied. “You’re too important to me.” Stocking rolled over to face Anklet. “Anklet…we will get past this. Things will get better again. I’ll make Kneesocks sit down and re-consider her parenting.” Stocking chuckled. “If I could change, then Kneesocks can as well. Just…give her some time.”

But all of Stocking’s fear faded as soon as she saw the growth of a powerful smile on Anklet’s face. As her eternal sunshine hugged her, Stocking knew they were out of the worst of it. 

As she went downstairs to get Anklet a glass of water for her sore throat, Stocking noticed something. Panty had moved. After delivering the glass, she checked around. Panty was nowhere in sight, she had left the house…


	20. The Second Childhood

_I’M NOT, REPEAT, NOT GIVING UP ON THIS FIC._

_Earnestly, I got busy again, this time for real. Got a job stocking a freezer, fixing up a old Camaro and another old car, cleaning the garage, trying to lose a few pounds, had to work on multiple commissions after a old client and I made amends…_

_…yeah. That promise of once a week ain’t holding up too well._

_And this is my second most popular story, Claptrap’s Adventure quickly becoming No.1 and My Life as a Teenage Robosexual being behind this one. BUT WHERE IS THE ARTWORK OF THIS WONDERFUL STORY? : >_

_I’ll try to get things out much faster, and not once a month._

* * *

 

Stocking found herself without a choice. She would have to wait for Kneesocks to return so she could take the car and track Panty down. Panty had called a cab, but had paid the cabbie off to not reveal any details where she was taken. So while waiting, Stocking considered where Panty would have run off to. Not her house, too easy and obvious. Probably not her workplace; after the fiasco at the playhouse, Panty wouldn’t be welcome there. Be a big surprise if she even HAD her job at all. Doubtful she went to a friend’s house to bunk. The worse-case scenario crept into her mind…

“We’re back.” Kneesocks announced. “It’s been a long night, so I think we should all turn in…”

“Panty escaped.” Stocking got out. “I need the keys and go after her.”

“Do you even know where she went off to?” Kneesocks asked, but still handing off the keys to her wife.

“Have a few ideas.” Stocking grunted as she got her coat on. “I’ll call once I find her. Is Scanty…” Stocking’s question died in her throat as she saw Scanty came walking in. She was carrying her costume around her arm, and was wearing Kneesock’s spare coat to cover herself up. She had a gentle smile on. “You okay?” Kneesocks quietly asked. Scanty slowly nodded. “You sure?”

“I’ll get better soon.” Scanty affirmed. “I believe Panty will head off to the airport in town. She’s a Platinum VIP there due to the models and merchandise she ferries around. I also believe she has a personal pilot there on standby in case of a emergency.” Scanty sighed as she sat down in the nearby chair. “It might take a while to get a plane off the ground, her accounts might be frozen at this point.”

“Thanks.” Stocking turned to head out, but she stopped and went back to Kneesocks. “I had a talk with Anklet…but she needs you.”

“I’m ready.” Kneesocks rolled her shoulders. “Me and Scanty…had a little talk. And don’t worry, we didn’t do anything drastic.” She then sighed. “But I was hoping I would have a little help talking with Anklet…but you got to get Panty before she escapes.” Stocking nodded with a slight smile, leaving after delivering a small kiss to Kneesocks.

Kneesocks looked up the stairs to see both Gee and Anklet looking down at the two. They still haven’t gotten out of their dress clothes, and Gee looked like she slept in hers. Both looked red in the eyes, but Anklet’s were far less red. Looks like Stocking patched the leak in the dam, but Kneesocks would have to fix it up properly. “I’ll go get a bathrobe on before I’ll talk with Gee.” Scanty sighed as she ascended up the stairs to go get a robe from Kneesock’s bathroom. “You might want to get started on with Anklet. I’ll join you as soon as possible.”

“Okay.” Kneesocks gently nodded. “Anklet? Can we talk?” Anklet merely nodded and slowly walked over to her room. Gee followed behind, looking about to burst into tears again. Kneesocks took each step very carefully, running multiple scenarios through her head of what could happen. Proper questions and responses would branch into other conservations that could lead into other questions…like a court case…

Kneesocks stopped herself. No. Only treat it like a court case if it IS a court case. This is a family matter. Treat it as such. Taking short breathes to calm herself, Kneesocks rounded up the stairs and went straight to the children’s room. Anklet sat on her bed and stared at Kneesocks as she entered into the room and joined her on the bed. Gee laid on the second bed, curled up.

“I’m not going to punish you for slapping me.” Kneesocks started with. “But we do need a talk on some things.”

“Mommy told me.” Anklet spoke up. “She said you could change with time…”

“Yeah.” Kneesocks sighed, bowing her head down. “I need to change for the better. I need to stop being the mean lawyer and be the nice mommy…” Kneesocks attempted to sound like a caring mother, but came off as condensing towards Anklet given her age. Might have worked four years ago, but a eight year old coming on nine years didn’t find it all too amusing. At least Kneesocks caught on and quickly changed gears: “What exactly do you want me to change?” Silence from the little girl, who then looked away. “Anything?”

“Scanty.” Anklet calmly stated. “I want you to come to my things. Football is coming up, and I want you to watch me.” Kneesocks grimaced a bit and Anklet caught on. “You need to relax! Stop pretending this is a bad thing to go and see a sports event! I know you have friends who like sports, and they’re lawyers too!”

“But I’m the District Attorney.” Kneesocks defended. “I need to set a standard…” Kneesocks stopped, realizing she might have screwed up her apology. “…but I guess I shouldn’t be so serious all the time. Be more friendly, more open to new ideas…sit down on a scorching hot bleacher wearing a skirt…”

“Wear pants then and use a towel!”

“Okay.” Kneesocks meekly stated. “I guess I could do that…I should stop try to make excuses.” She looked back towards her daughter. “But I’m guessing just partaking in your events isn’t going to cut it.” Kneesocks slowly raised a hand up to embrace Anklet, who nudged away. “Do you want me to bring lunch to school, do you want to ferry you between places…”

“What I want…” Anklet pursued her lips, kicking against the bedframe. “…is for you to be my parent. I don’t care what you do…I just want you to be around.” Anklet groaned and fell back on her bed. “I’m not angry with you…but I guess I’m…annoyed.” Anklet sighed. “Can you do that?”

“I can try.” Kneesocks admitted as she too laid back on the bed. “I’m…sorry. I got over-focused…again.” Kneesocks rolled to the side to face her daughter. “I was like this in Daten City you know. Rule-obsessed and all that. I changed only slightly after the escape…much like Panty.” She sighed.

Speaking of Panty, Scanty came in wearing the bathrobe. Must have taken that long time to think of what to say. She calmly walked over to Gee’s bed and sat down. Kneesocks quickly over to take notice and turned back to go back to her daughter. “Is Gee going to be all right?” Anklet asked.

“It will take time, but yes.” Kneesocks repeated something she heard during a sexual assault seminar. “But will you be?”

“If you’re there, I will be.” Anklet suddenly jumped up and went over to her desk. “I made something.” She opened one of the drawers and pulled out a sheet of paper. “I want us to be like this.” She showed Kneesocks the paper, revealing a child’s drawing of three people: one that resembled Stocking with a bigger head, another that looked like Anklet, and one character that looked like Kneesocks…but this one was smiling and holding hands. “Can you be like this?” Anklet asked.

“I can try.” Kneesocks admitted. “I’m going to need help from you and Stocking.”

For the first time in a while, Kneesocks could see Anklet smiling. And for the first time in years, Anklet reached over and hugged Kneesocks. And for the first time ever, Kneesocks returned the hug.

Scanty looked over to notice the reconciliation going well. She turned back to Gee, who managed to calm down after a small talk. “See?” Scanty patted Gee on the back. “Things can improve.”

“Can Panty…”

“She will be punished.” Scanty affirmed. “I’ll make her sleep on the couch for six weeks…”

“But didn’t she do something really bad?” Gee asked sullenly. “I saw something like this in school; Jessica cheated on Brad with Michael, and Jessica stopped eating for a whole week…”

“Yes, but do you want to sleep on the couch for several weeks?” Scanty remarked, lightly elbowing Gee in the chest. The little girl giggled. “I’ll make her do all of your chores for that time as well….” Gee stopped by raising a single finger. “Yes?”

“While I do like the idea of not having to do chores, Panty just cheated on you.” Gee sighed. “She betrayed you. I don’t think giving her chores and making her sleep on the couch is a good punishment. Don’t you think you should…”

Scanty took her daughter into a tight hug. “I…still love Panty. I know, crazy right? But I know Panty. She’s…intimate. What happened was a one time thing, something she did all those years ago in Daten. Panty and I? We’ve been going strong for ten years, and you’re proof of that! This is a minor setback all things considered. I know…I know…” Scanty took a deep breath before continuing. “…I can forgive her and make things work out. I know Panty didn’t really mean to cheat. I know she still loves us…”

Gee sighed and returned the hug. She hoped Scanty would stand up for herself…but she became too dependent on Panty. Maybe Panty could change for the better, but Scanty took the whole cheating affair as a misstep. What if Panty had considered leaving Scanty? What if Panty no longer cared about her family? Gee thought about this every single second since she saw her mother run out of the theater.

But she did hug her mother tight.


	21. The Air Is Down Here

By the time Stocking reached the airport, dawn started to break through the thick night clouds. This made Stocking realize she spent at least three hours just waiting in her living room. Scanty and Kneesock’s little talk must have lasted a little over that. Stocking even wondered if Panty had already escaped. Thankfully, this airport had a section for private flights so Stocking found the best parking spot nearby and ran out.

The Private Section wasn’t that busy, so Stocking power-walked through the area with her eyes darting all around looking for Panty. She could hear various planes of various sizes moving all about her. This worried her a bit. What if she arrived too late? Panty could have already be halfway around the world by this time. Or worse, the last time she would see her own sister would be through the window of a plane. Stocking’s pace quickened as she nearly broke out into a jog through the airport’s hall.

But she had luck. On a bench pressed against a wall sat Panty, smoking a cigarette with a duffel bag by her feet. Panty once more seemed to be in her own little world and didn’t react to Stocking until the goth girl approached and tapped her on the shoulder. “What the fack…” Panty screeched while preparing to stab someone with her cigarette, only dropping her arm as soon as she saw Stocking. “Shoot, I figured you would track me down here.” She sighed and stuck the cigarette on her lips and took a puff. “But don’t bother trying to convince me to come back. I ain’t doing that.”

“And why not?” Stocking groaned. “We can resolve this. Scanty is willing to forgive and we can fix this…”

“Nope!” Panty cheerfully shot out. “See that duffle bag?” She kicked the grey bag a few times to remind Stocking. “I keep that at work in case I need to go somewhere fast and don’t have time to pack a actual suitcase. When I went to grab it, you know who I ran into?” She started to chuckle. “Melinda! Ya know, the gal that ran Volcano & Blizzard, the company I bought out. When she heard about my infidelity, she ran and woke my board of directors and informed them.” Panty tapped the cigarette on the ashtray, spilling some stray ash. “They quickly made her a deal. She would help with PR and keep the company afloat in the middle of the CEO’s scandal, and she gained 30% control of the company. They bent like a paperclip!” Panty reared her head back and let out a hearty laugh. “If I even get to keep my CEO position, my power is going to be severely limited. Dynamite Gal was fun, but I knew it wasn’t going to last.”

“Scanty can just tell the board it was a mistake.” Stocking assured. “You can still run your company. We can go back to normal.”

“No.” Panty turned to face Stocking with a serious look and expression. Stocking admitted to herself that this had to be one of the few times where Panty actually looked serious. “I’m not going back, and you know better. I cheated on Scanty, most likely scarred Gee, ruined my business’ reputation, and today’s newspaper is going to drag the remaining dregs of my life into the sewers. I’m leaving town to escape the flurry of reporters, models, parents and anyone else with a beef with me.”

“You’re leaving Scanty and Gee.” Stocking stoically affirmed. “Scanty has little job experience; even if she gets job, it wouldn’t be enough to afford the mansion and Gee’s school. Oh yeah!” Stocking let out a false chuckle. “And the reporters will hound the two to the ends of the earth! I’ll bet Gee’s school will kick her out rather than deal with the bad publicly.”

“Don’t worry.” Panty shrugged. “I figured that something would happen, so I set up a secret account just for Scanty and Gee. Nobody can touch it. I made a call to my bank just a hour ago. They’re going to give her the password in the afternoon. There’s…” Panty leaned in for this. “…ten million in that account. Scanty can get a job to make some spare money; she and Gee can live off that money for the rest of their lives! Gee can attend the schools she wants and Scanty can live in what houses she wants.”

“But the reporters, and all those people who’s out to get you?”

“The story won’t be about me cheating, it will be about where I ran off to. Sure, people will still ask about the affair, but the main question that’ll be on people’s minds is my location.”

Stocking looked down, lost for words. What could she say to this? Panty seemingly covered every angle. Her family would be covered in the money department and people would be more interested in her disappearance than the affair. But what would Panty do? Where would she go? And why not tell someone…like her wife? Her child? HER SISTER? Stocking raised her voice to ask, “Where the hell are you going? Why haven’t you told me or anyone else? What do you plan on doing when you get there…wherever you plan on going? Are you planning on returning after some time? Are you going to contact us, your FAMILY?”

Panty looked offended. “I’m not…ever coming back, nor am I telling you where I am going. Like I said, I’m not coming back. If I send you or anyone ANYTHING, I can be tracked. I’m not going back.” She repeated as she dropped her cigarette into the ashtray and dug into her pockets for the box and her lighter. Stocking let Panty light up so it would help with her nerves. Once she took a few puffs, Panty continued. “Look, we both know I don’t belong in that household anymore. I’m doing the best possible thing for them now. Why are you trying to force me to go back to the family I destroyed?”

Stocking took a deep breath. “Because running away isn’t going to fix things. In the past ten years, you raised a strong family, developed a stable company, and…” Stocking took another deep breath as she found herself admitting this. “…rekindled our relationship as sisters…for the most part. You’re going to throw it all away for one setback? We can fix this. There will be consequences, but we can face up to them…”

“No, no, no!” Panty pleaded. “I can’t! I lost control! I slept with a guy, and the medicine didn’t help…”

“Wait.” Stocking raised up a hand. “Wait, what medicine? Panty, what sort of medication have you been on?”

“You know.” Panty shrugged, acting like everyone knew this. “My urges came back. So I got some medication off the counter to help with that. But I think the medication had side-effects, and by the time I noticed it was too late.” She sighed. “Really my own fault. I thought I could control the urges, but they just kept on kept on…” 

“Panty, I don’t understand. When did this happen?” Stocking urged Panty for an answer. “What kind of medication did you take for these urges?”

“Oh, pills.” Panty dug into her pockets, pulled out a pill-bottle and tossed it over to Stocking, who caught them with both hands. She opened the bottle and took one pill to look at.“These things kept my desires down pat for bit before they became the desires themselves. I have to keep taking them tho’, otherwise I would go on a rampage and fuck every boy in a two mile radius…”

“Panty these are sugar pills.” Stocking spoke up. “The label is for aspirin, but these are sugar pills.”

“No, that doesn’t make any sense…”

“I recognize them.” Stocking admitted. “And…” She turned the pill over to show a capital P. “That means placebo. The pharmacist probably didn’t want you with real pills and handed you some fake ones.” Panty looked at Stocking with wide and confused eyes. “These pills aren’t responsible for your actions…Panty, did you get these pills for the accident?”

“What accident?” Panty asked, getting a bit annoyed. 

“The one at work, nearly a year ago.” Stocking reaffirmed. “Remember? You got a phone call from Scanty, asking you to come home. Gee had been in a fight. You rushed down the stairs and slipped on…”

“…a spending report.” Panty gasped. “I fell down a flight and cracked my hand open…” After saying those words, Panty reached up and touched the back-left side of her head. She found a slight bald spot with a small stitch running alongside it. Suddenly, she found herself recalling a lot of details relating to this injury. Scanty’s call; how terrified she sounded when she broke the news about Gee’s fight. In truth she had a cut on her cheek, having won the fight and a three day suspension. Panty recalled looking at the grey wall at the bottom of the stairs after her fall, afraid to move. She remembered the ride to the hospital and the doctor who stitched her up…he smelled like fish. And finally…how she woke up in a hospital room with her family around her. Gee carried a box of spicy treats and Scanty some flowers.

…she forgot about how much Scanty cared.

“If you’re having strong sexual urges again and you’ve been taking these placebos…” Stocking started to surmised. “Then it’s not your fault.” Panty turned to Stocking with wide eyes. “Your concussion might had some longer lasting effects than just the wound. You might have a mental condition!” Stocking snapped her fingers. “If this is true, we can use this to save your ass! We’ll tell people you weren’t in control of your actions and things can go back to normal…”

“No.” Panty repeated, with less emotion. “No. Even if that’s true, and people would buy it, it doesn’t make up for the damage caused. You think by explaining I had a mind problem is going to fix all the shit I caused.” She grunted as she got up and took her bag. “But I will tell you this. I’m going to Brazil. There’s a contact down there who’s willing to give me food and shelter.” Panty then sighed as she strode over to the gates. Stocking followed. “What, you planning on following me down south?” Panty laughed, turned around and put on a sick little smile towards her sister. “Look, I’m going down there to turn tricks. It’s what I’m good at! Going to be the best ho in the entire country.” She turned around and slung her bag over her shoulder. “Still, with boobs like that and child-bearing hips, you would earn a lot of money as well…”

“Panty.” Stocking coughed out. “I…don’t want you to leave.” Stocking could feel her eyes tighten, on the outset of tears. “I really…don’t want you to go. I know we were never on the best of terms…” She sniffled uncontrollably. Panty heard this, stopped dead in her tracks, and turned around. “…but I love Gee like my own child, and you mean the world to her.” Stocking’s eyes started to water up and tears gently went down her face. “And Scanty loves you! I used to receive phone calls every day from her talking about how great you are…” Stocking’s crying broke the floodgates and she couldn’t talk in a stable sentence. “…p-please-e don’t l-l-lea-a-a-ve…”

“Stop.” Panty pleaded. “Stop.” But Stocking didn’t stop crying. She just couldn’t. Panty blinked and dropped her bag to the floor. She then took her sister into a hug and patted her on the back. “Please stop crying. I won’t go if I mean that much to you. I’ll stay…and try to fix this. Can you help me.”

“Yes!” Stocking wiped her eyes, getting a stable voice back. “I will help you…sis.”

Stan looked at his watch. Panty was over a hour late by now. She was supposed to come out on the field and get into his plane. He had a delivery to make in Espirito Santo, Panty wanted to go somewhere, and didn’t care where she went to. Realizing that staying here any longer would make him late, he started up the motors and called the tower for permission to take off. With clearance granted, he took off and headed south for his delivery. He would be back in about a week, so he would ask Panty as to why she failed to show up.

Her answer would be: “Change of plans, I panicked and almost made a terrible decision.”


	22. Saving The Burning Bridge

The ride back home was quiet, yet peaceful. Not like the ride home from the theater. Panty held onto her bag with both hands, taking a long breath every so often to steel herself. Stocking could feel the bags under her eyes growing on her, so she might end up saying a few sparse words before collapsing in bed. She still had enough energy to continue driving though, and took the quickest route back to the mansion.

As they parked in the driveway and got out, Kneesocks and Scanty greeted them. They looked to be tired as well, but they looked to be a bit healthier. Panty nearly avoided eye-contact with her wife, but after a quick breath she faced Scanty with perfect eye-contact. Scanty returned the look with a firm gaze. Panty ascended up the front porch and stood only a few inches away from Scanty. She closed her eyes and readied for a slap.

But instead let out a 'oomph' as Scanty hugged her real tight. "Don't you ever do that again." Scanty whispered into Panty's ear. "I might have to kill you."

"I won't do it again." Panty promised, patting Scanty on the back. "You okay?"

"I'll be." Scanty affirmed before letting the hug go. "We will be having a talk with Gee in the morning."

"Good idea." Panty sighed before looking up at the sun, having crawled halfway up the sides of the earth. "Well, afternoon in our case. The kids asleep?" Kneesocks nodded yes. Panty noticed that her sister-in-law did wear a particular angry look. It would be a long time before they would talk or even share eye contact. Panty didn't want to burn this bridge, and just not because she needed a District Attorney on her side. Panty looked over to the driveway to notice that her car had been returned; Scanty must have driven back with Stocking. "Does your family want to stay?" Panty asked Stocking.

"I think we need to head home now." Stocking sighed. "I'll go get Anklet." She told to her wife before kissing her on the cheek and going inside. Kneesocks let out a happy little sigh before retrieving the keys to her car. She gave her sister a hug before going to start and warm the car. Scanty turned around to open the door for Panty to come in. They went in together, Panty following shortly behind.

She looked around the place; memories came flooding with all the guilt they carried. She remembered first walking into the empty house as part of a tour. Scanty was carrying a infant Gee in her arms as Panty paid for the house on the spot, making the relator stumble over his words at the amount of bills Panty had stuffed all over herself. There was that time Panty nearly burned the house down attempting to make dinner for a pregnant Stocking…Kneesocks didn't talk to Panty for a week. Panty almost killed herself when attempting to handle moving furniture upstairs on her own. But there were good times; Gee's first steps and her walking in with a huge red 100% on her finals just last year, Scanty creating the perfect weekend for the two of them and all the amazing dishes…

…Panty wiped a hand across her right eye. She nearly left all this behind.

Stocking came down the stairs with a sleeping Anklet cuddled up in her arms. She silently nodded to her sister before stepping out of the house. Panty let out a long breath before collapsing onto the couch in the living room, still in her fancy getup. "Good night…or mornin' whatever." Scanty turned her head at the sight of the uncomfortable Panty scrunched up on the sofa.

"Not tonight." Scanty sighed, patting Panty on the back. "And we'll set up the bed tomorrow. Tonight you get to sleep in the bed…enjoy it while it lasts." With a slight giggle, Scanty held out her hand and firmly took Panty's. She lead her up the stairs and into their room, where they went to bed in their clothes.

The next couple of days were a storm for both families. As Panty predicted, everyone and nearly everything came knocking down the doors of the two households to get the scoop. But they got only silence and 'move out of the way please' as the two families went about their business. It took a week to get the results back, but the confirmation of mental trauma in Panty's head did get some people off her back, but people still came around; no believing her, wanting the full details, saying it didn't excuse her actions…

…which also summed up the board of directors nicely. They were split all over the place if they should keep or fire Panty. In the end, Panty still remained as CEO, but with less authority and a smaller paycheck. Melinda still had a grasp on the company, but not enough to place a power chokehold on Panty. In short, Panty got to do more work for less pay, but thankfully she still made enough to keep the house as well as have Gee continue going to the same school.

The following weekend, Kneesocks attended her first soccer match. Anklet's team the Tigers versus The Bears. Kneesocks felt hot wearing a cotton business suit in the hot weather while sitting on a scorching hot metal bleacher and she was definitely uncomfortable watching a sporting event when she could be doing work and keeping the streets clean…but that changed when a head-shaking Stocking tossed a bag of clean gym clothes to her wife. With comfier clothes on, Kneesocks could actually relax and even enjoy the game. When Anklet managed to outsmart the opponent's goalie and gain a goal, Kneesocks actually let out a cheer. It was the only point for the Tigers sadly, but Anklet felt satisfied regardless. She saw Kneesocks cheering her on after all.

Gee saw a psychiatrist soon after. Not that she really needed it as it turns out, she understood what happened and the only questions she needed to be answer were simple. Gee lost a great deal of love for Panty; while she still talked and did things alongside Panty, it wasn't as often or even energetic as before. Gee spent more time with Scanty now and took up on more chores to help out. Panty figured that out and decided to let Gee recover on her own for now.

Panty and Scanty, while at peace, did see a marriage counselor to fix any possible problems they might have missed. Panty did object, but in a weak manner and did drive her and Scanty to the first meeting with counselor. The counselor believed the two should break up or even divorce, based around what he learned. Panty and Scanty stopped seeing the counselor for a bit and just handled things on their own. The ripped fabric of their relationship needed two hands to fix, and they worked on it every day. Panty's new medication kept her sex drive under control, and she wisely didn't ask for sex for a long time. Within two weeks, Panty had her bed again. Within four weeks, Scanty openly embraced Panty.

Within two months, Scanty asked Panty for sexual release. Panty put her back into it to make her wife feel like the luckiest woman on the planet.

And life went on.


	23. Back Then: Same Change

“Panty, put those back, you bitch!”

“Too late!”

“Those are for the poor! Even I wouldn’t take candy from them!”

“In case you forgotten…we are poor. No money, just the clothes on our backs and whatever those navy guys were willing to hand over. These clothes are our ticket into going big time!”

“Those hand-me downs that are most likely stained with dirt, sweat, blood, semen, vaginal stains…”

“I’ll clean them up later! But really, these are just practice. I need to learn the craft of designing clothes for real, and not just have them rolling around in my head…”

“Well, if you want a infection from all the shit stained on those things, go ahead.”

“Scanty’s going to help me BTW. If she gets infected, Kneesocks might not stop with me…”

“You have this weird and sudden fascination with Scanty. What gives?”

“Cute girl, that’s all. We landed in the same boat together, so we might as well stick together and work things out. Besides, free helper.”

“Kneesocks told me last night Scanty had fallen in love with you, bimbo.”

“Really now? That’s even better!”

“Panty, for the love of god…the same one who just fucked us, yes, but still…don’t screw with her. Kneesocks is on a short fuse, and she’s looking to kill. Do anything to Scanty, and we’re all blown to shit…”

“I’m not going to do anything wrong to Scanty. I’m going to treat her well, possibly even better than what her own sister has done to her. I’m really getting a good vice from all this! We’re going to hit the big time!”

“And what of the Demon sisters? We going to keep them around?”

“Ditch the rule-obsessed bitch, but keep the cute one.”

“You’re going to sleep with Scanty, aren’t you?”

“…would be different and interesting, but not while her sister is watching us. I can wait tho…”

“Unreal…”

“And it’s okay for you to crush on that spectacled nerd, huh? Don’t think I didn’t hear you!”

“Gah! I give up! Fuck up your life on your own time, and keep me out of it! I’m going to find something to do…”

“You sure you don’t want to partake in the greatest fashion revolution I’m about to start?”

“Viva la clogs.”

“Yeah, yeah! Go ahead and laugh! Someday, I’m going to rule!”


	24. Rain In The Brain

Panty looked out the window. Raining again? Man, every year she forgot how much she really hated this time of year. All rain, no play. Sighing, she turned around and went downstairs to the living room. Empty, Scanty and Gee were out grocery shopping before the rain started and they were stuck in traffic. She had the entire house to herself. Panty could do a lot she couldn’t normally do now that she was alone; order a pizza and a two liter of soda just for herself, have a little party with some friends that still talk with her, put on something sexy, do something crazy until she could the car come up into the driveway…

…but no. Just TV and maybe some ice cream if she got the energy to get up and get it.

The past four months hadn’t been the best for Panty…but at the same time not has bad as she thought it would get. Work had been killing her as she pretty much got the full load of paperwork of all finances thrown onto her desk to sign and authorize before the end of the day. At least she hadn’t been reduced to the position of gopher and running coffee back and forth for some really ungrateful people. Still, her mind had become a complete blank thanks to the tedious nature of her work, and so she watched TV without really watching TV. The show went on about how the killer managed to drown his victim to make it look like a accident, but Panty just blinked through the whole thing.

Life had become a bit boring for Panty. Well, she did it on purpose. It was to help with her inhibitions. A more moderate lifestyle kept her cool and calm, if a bit bored. But she valued her marriage to Scanty above all else and she had no intention of putting into jeopardy again. 

Still needed some sort of excitement now. Melina taking control of the PR department meant Panty had become confided to the actual business. Panty missed the days of the crazy stunts and Twitter explosions she used to do when she personally ran the department. Maybe after the whole affair news died down and became more of a funny story she could take control of that department have a blast once again. Melinda will lose strength as time wanes. After all, Panty did buy her out one time long ago.

Panty’s phone started to beep out a midi version of a Nicki Minaj song. Pulling it out, she read the text message. Gee had typed it on Scanty’s phone, going by the words with numbers in them. It read out that they were going to stop for dinner until the traffic and/or rain to let up. Thanks goodness Scanty put a cooler in the back to keep the perishables in. So Panty would be here alone for some time.

…Panty wondered if Stocking had the same problems.

Keeping in touching with her sister’s family hadn’t exactly been a top priority for Panty. Too busy with her own family. Panty tapped away to her cell’s contacts to Stocking’s number. Still had that stupid surprise photo Panty took at Gee’s birthday party two years ago. Speaking of which, Gee’s birthday was…three weeks from now. Okay, need to start doing some plans for that. Panty mashed a index finger against the portrait and the phone dialed the number. A few seconds later and a equally-bored woman spoke out a “Yes?”

“Slow night?” Panty asked.

“Yup.” Stocking replied.

“Wife and kid out?”

“Movie. You?”

“Groceries. Watching TV?”

“I think it’s a CSI show.”

“The one with the physic?”

“She the one…”

“Actually a he, so we’re watching something different.”

“Ah. Eating ice cream?”

“You know it. Chocolate-chunk caramel-swirls.”

“Too lazy to get one myself.”

“So how’s things?”

“A bit boring really. Just remembered that Gee’s birthday is coming up. Going to be planning.”

“I think I overheard Gee and Anklet talking about that new robo-magic-show. Gee’s turning eleven, so this might be the last year to do the cartoon-themed party before it becomes ‘un-cool’…”

“I’ll look into it, thanks. How’s Anklet?”

“She showed me a picture out of a shopping magazine that came in our mail randomly. She wanted to get a leather jacket! And not one of those cool looking ones you see in those 50s shows, but the ones in the book were so gaudy…”

“Punk style. Meant to look sharp, both literally and figuratively. You wear them to be intimidating, not ‘cool’ or ‘chic’. As a former designer and a current fashion magazine owner and runner of the entire business, that’s what they do.”

“My daughter isn’t intimidating! She’s a softie! She won’t even doodle out of the lines in a coloring book!”

“She’s getting older too. Three months and it’s her turn for a party.”

“Eleven and nine. They’re going to joy-riding soon.”

“By that time, they’re going to invent a car that prevents people from driving it unless they’re registered and it’s the proper time for that person to be driving.”

“Don’t think we could afford that.”

“Who knows? They might become the common vehicle.”

“Ye…oh. Kneesocks just came in. Got to go.”

“Bye.”

Panty hit the button to end the call and placed her cell back into her pocket. That felt good. It went well. Panty talked with her sister about normal things and they didn’t curse, scream, argue, or insult each other. They talked about the weather, their current situation, and their kids!

Panty let out a small chuckle. Back in Daten City, they would have been at each other’s throats in seconds. She started to really laugh. Back in Daten City, Panty and Stocking would have been throwing out insults with every other breath. Panty roared out loud. In Daten City, they would have spent a entire day bitching at each other over every small thing instead of doing anything productive!

“What’s so funny?” Panty looked over to see Scanty and Gee looking very confused.

“Oh…really a inside joke. “


	25. Lift Up

Kneesocks collapsed on her couch, insanely tired yet incredibly satisfied. For once since they originally moved into the house, she can move around her office without having to bump into, skit around, jump over, or move her paperwork around. In fact, the couch she currently was laying on used to be a second desk for her. But with all of her papers nicely filed away in specifically-marked official boxes and ready to be taken away, she could, at long last, enjoy a nice-looking office.

She had gotten up early this Saturday morning, at eight sharp. Kneesocks made herself a small breakfast of two slices of toast and a tall glass of orange juice before tackling her office with the boxes she had gotten at work. She spent two hours getting herself organized for the actual organization, figuring out what exactly she had and marking the boxes with a description so she could easily locate a certain document in the event she would need it again. And then it took a extra two hours to get everything filed away properly. Man, who have thought that paper would be so heavy? At least she didn’t get any paper cuts.

“Lunchtime…” Rang Stocking as she pushed open the door in one hand, a tray of food in the other. “Woah.” Stocking spoke out loud after loosing the chipper tone. “This place looks like something.” Stocking whistled as she set the tray down on the desk. “I mean, you can actually move around.”

“Surprising, no?” Kneesocks sighed as she weakly rose up to get her meal. She eyed it first; a sandwich with currently-unknown contents, a apple with a nice shine, a second glass of orange juice (Actually, it might be the same one that Kneesocks left the sink this morning.) and two chocolate-chip cookies. Kneesocks never was into chocolate like her wife, but she did enjoy everything else of the cookie. Needing the energy, she stuffed the first cookie her hand landed on once she fell into her seat. Once she swallowed that, she downed half of the glass. “Thank you!” Kneesocks exasperated out after swallowing the juice.

“Make sure you swallow first before talking, dear.” Stocking bowed. “Later, Anklet is going to a bowling party. We can go together, drop me and Anklet off and you can take these boxes to the office.” Kneesock took hugea bite out of the sandwich. Lettuce, ham, tomato, light spread of mayo, and two slices of sharp cheddar cheese. Tasty, and gave Kneesocks the energy to sit upright. “Feel better?”

“Yes.” Kneesocks let out a relaxed breath and assumed eating like a normal person…demon. “I haven’t felt this tired since…”

“Anklet’s soccer practice a week back?” Stocking filled in.

“Yeah.” Kneesocks groaned as she started to recall that day with detail. That day was declared to be ‘Parent Partner Day’ for the soccer team. Wanting to get closer to Anklet, Kneesocks took charge and even went out and bought a sweatshirt and sweatpants for the occasion. She looked like she just stepped out of the eighties with her getup, but dammit, she wanted to have fun with her daughter!

…who then humbled her up and down the field. Anklet never showed this speed at home…

“At least you can relax at the party, they aren’t going to require you to play.” Stocking told as she sat down on the vacant couch. “But you do have to come back. If it’s a ten minute drive, it’s going to be ten times as long on foot.”

“No, I’ll come back and I’ll bowl.” Kneesocks admitted as she finished up the sandwich. “Might as well make a few new friends that don’t wear suits all day…” She stopped herself short as she finished off her orange juice with one more swing. “…and smell like they rolled around in cigar ash.”

“And drink less?” Stocking pushed a finger towards her wife.

“…well…” Kneesocks balanced out her palms. “…people with better taste in alcohol at least.”

Stocking looked over Kneesocks as she got into the second cookie. She looked healthier. Happier too. She had more energy about her, like she had become a young child again. Last year, she wouldn’t dare touch a soccer ball. Now she wanted to go bowling with people she didn’t know, and all just to make new friends. 

And Anklet seemed to be even happier than before. Having BOTH of her mothers playing with her made the little hellion all the more energetic. She signed for SO MANY events! Heck, Stocking didn’t even think she actually knew the child who was having the party! Anklet must have been making so many new friends recently, Stocking lost count of how many and how often that kids would walk through their front doors. Of course, Stocking hoped that Anklet was actually making new friends and not just making friends with kids who had upcoming birthday parties. After all, Anklet is Stocking’s kid, not Panty’s!

“I’ll better go get changed.” Kneesocks got up, revealing that she hadn’t changed out of her nightwear from last night. Her oversized shirt had been all wrinkled up and covered in dust from moving all those old papers around. Oddly enough, the shirt she wore was a t-shirt that Panty had left during the rain-in. Stocking could tell; it had the same red color of Panty’s usual dress back in Daten City and reeked a bit of sex. No matter how many times you would wash Panty’s clothes with whatever ‘family secret’ cleanser, it would still have the faint smell of Panty and Scanty’s little nightly exercises…and the old Panty for the clothes she kept following Daten City’s end.

Stocking followed Kneesocks out, not wanting to intrude anymore on Kneesock’s private sanctum. Everyone was in a good mood, why try to ruin it?


	26. Back Then: A Single Step

“You didn’t.”

“Oh yeah.”

“You really, really didn’t.”

“It’s me. Of course I would totally do it.”

“Panty…we’re dead. We are already dead. We’re zombies…”

“Well, at least I went out with a bang! How did you and the frigid bitch fare last night…”

“Kneesocks will disembowel me.”

“How? We can’t use our weapons anymore.”

“There are other weapons out there! Like, say, a steak knife?”

“Please. Scanty said…”

“Pre or post coitus?”

“Post of course. Some of the best fucking I ever enjoyed. Girl can work it…”

“Enough already! If I didn’t want to hear about it in Daten, I don’t want to hear about that here! “

“Kinda feel sorry for you.”

“Me, you whore?”

“Yeah, you’re going to end up with that terrible person…demon? Red-skinned person?”

“Me…and Kneesocks? No. We have nothing…”

“You’re both cold as ice, more serious than the other sibling, used to wield a bladed weapon…”

“Grasping at straws.”

“Not really! Me and Scanty are hitting it off very well, and you can actually talk with the iceberg.”

“Fine. Yes, me and Kneesocks are…talking. But I doubt we will be going much further than that. She’s looking for a way to go back to Hell…or get a career in politics.”

“Oh no, no, no. If she becomes a politician, she can enforce her stupid rrrules!”

“On one hand, I doubt that people will allow her to pass such laws. On the other, I totally believe she would be able to make her perfect rrrrule-infested society.”

“Hmm. Still, a politician makes a lot of money, so in case your sweet-shop doesn’t get off the ground.”

“Me…and…her? Really? Panty, why are you so hung up about us being together…”

“Well, you know…me and Scanty have decided to…date.”

“Date? Seriously? It wasn’t just…pity sex?”

“Pity? You talking about me or Scanty?”

“Really, both. Men aren’t exactly flocking to you, and Scanty still has some PSTD.”

“Okay, look here, ya fat bitch. I feel comfy with Scanty. Not only is she wonderful in the sack, but because I’m starting to like her. Nice body and all that.”

“You lost it. Kneesocks is going to eat you.”

“Speaking of eating…”

“Stop changing the subject.”

“Seriously, how’s the cooking coming along? I haven’t seen any black smoke lately.”

“…it’s going well. I’m learning.”

“Aren’t you going to ask me about how my how my own business is coming along?”

“No?”

“It’s going wonderful! I only prickled my finger twice while sewing up a sleeve. Give me a week, and I’ll be making shirts that’ll make your eyes explode!”

“That’s a bad thing.”

“Don’t worry, goth brat, I’ll make sure to add in a dark and edgy dress line just for you.”

“First you got to sell the first item you make, and get past the fact you made the outfit out of dirty give-aways. Good luck with that…”

“Good old fashioned rags-to-rich story! Beautiful blonde girl washed ashore pulls herself up on her bootstraps and becomes a billionaire…”

“I had enough of this.”

“Later, Stocking! Tell Kneesocks her sister has a great rack!”

“…she knows that…ugh, whatever…”


	27. Spared From A Strike

She couldn’t help but feel embarrassed about what the computer was telling her. The scores spelled it out. 208. 200 exactly. 176. 158. And at the bottom, her score of 78.

Kneesocks had never bowled before. Too sweaty, too boozy, too…ugly in the terms of décor for her tastes back then. Older now and having a kid made Kneesocks a bit more open to other things and the wiliness to try them out. She wasn’t exactly the most athletic type; the flips and kicks she used during her ‘fighting angels’ days were more for combat than weaving around players and kicking a ball around. As for bowling…

…to her credit, she only got two in the gutter lane. But that didn’t save her from the embarrassing defeat she got from the other players. Not a single strike or spare, and she couldn’t even past eight pins down. By the time she got into the seventh frame, her face had become a faint pink. The other players did try to make her feel better, understanding that she was new to this. It didn’t help much. 

This was her daughter’s entire fault. As soon as Anklet saw the party at the east end of the bowling hall, she told her mother to go off and have some fun, she’ll be fine with Stocking, the other parents and kids! Kneesocks let out a small hiss as she gazed down to the right, hoping to spot a smirking Anklet watching her mother try and fail epically. 

And to make matters worst…the parents holding the birthday party had paid for three games for five lanes. Kneesocks was going to be here a while…and she didn’t have the energy to play another game.

“Bad time?” Stocking pulled up to Kneesock’s table. 

“78.” Kneesocks growled. 

“Ooh.” Stocking shook. “I’ll make sure Anklet doesn’t know.”

“I’ll be old and wrinkly, and she would walk into my retirement home with a belly full of a growing baby, and find a way to squeeze in several references to my first bowling score.” Kneesocks dejected before laying her head down on the cool metal table. “It’s going…it’s going to be the age of my death, right?”

“Oh, don’t be like that.” Stocking patted Kneesocks on the back. “Have some fries.” She pulled forward the fry basket towards her and lifted a single fry up to Kneesock’s mouth. Kneesocks opened her mouth and took in the fry. “There are nice and hot…and nicely salted too.”

“Yeah…” Kneesocks admitted. “So, is Anklet having fun with her new friend?”

“Yes, and her name is Alastriona, Alasa for short.” Stocking fed another fry to her wife. “Nice girl, interesting parents. I think one of her mom’s is a rabbit…”

“Moms?” Kneesocks asked.

“Yeah, like us.” Stocking grabbed a handful of fries. Against her better nature, Kneesocks took in the wad of fries all at once. “There’s plenty of couples out there that used that thing…”

“That thing…” Kneesocks’ face turned a lighter pink color. “I remember that.” 

“So do I.” Stocking put on a nice smile. “But as I recall, you were extremely disbelieving of that thing…” She rapped against Kneesocks’ shoulder. “Until you saw the item in hand…and a pregnant Scanty!”

“I remember being incredibly rageful seeing Panty holding hands with a pregnant Scanty at first.” Kneesocks leaned back in her chair, her hand reaching up to grab a few fries of her own. “Panty might had been rising up in the world, but she was still the old Panty at that point.” She let out a forlorn sigh, recalling those days. She was studying up for her law midterms when she got the phone call. In all honesty, she was surprised she actually parked in the driving way without running down Panty. “But.” Kneesocks put on a big old smile. “I will always remember how happy Scanty looked when she gave the news…and how depressed Panty looked.”

A memory fondly shared with Stocking, who giggled rather evilly. Scanty was bubbly and excited about having a child and Panty looked ready to possibly barf…or bail. Stocking and Kneesocks made damn sure she wouldn’t leave and forced to get married…it wasn’t really shotgun wedding as it was a ‘sword’ wedding, if you get my drift.

Kneesocks leaned back up a after a moment of thought. “You know…”She added with a sigh. “I’ve been thinking…about something for a while…”

“Spit it out, I think the party might be ending early.” Stocking pointed over to the party, where a adult seemed to be angrily starting a argument with the adults. He appeared to be severally agitated and wanting to take someone away. Kneesocks looked away for a second before quickly snapping back when she noticed the face of the man. He looked different all angry, sweaty and wearing a different outfit, but it was him.

When did the Great Dine-N-Dasher get out? He couldn’t afford bail…

At first, Kneesocks didn’t want to call attention out to him. Didn’t want to spook an obviously angry criminal by announcing her presence, the woman who put him away. But then he reached out to grab Anklet, who jumped back in shock. This got both Stocking and Kneesocks to get up and rush to their daughter’s side.

“You.” He gritted his teeth and pointed a meaty finger at Kneesocks when she stood between him and Anklet.

“Davis White.” She sternly hissed at him. “Tell me why you are here and not in a jail cell.”

“My dad bailed me.” Davis snapped at her. “And I came here to tell your daughter about what a bitch your mother is.”

“You’re on your way back to jail for so many things.” Kneesocks stepped forward, pulling out her cellphone and calling up the police to come to her location with a single tap. Davis didn’t take too kindly to that and reached over with both of his hands. Stocking kicked him in the stomach, but the man who made it his job to eat and run didn’t took the blow and kept going to tackle Kneesocks down.

A few of the other parents quickly recognized the threat and went over to go and pull Davis off Kneesocks. Kneesocks looked at her phone and saw it was still active despite the screen getting cracked. Davis hoarsely screamed and shook the others off him to once more go after Kneesocks. She quickly got out of the way and grabbed a nearby towel. She wrapped it like a whip and smacked Davis in the face. He once more raged and attempted to choke Kneesocks. This is when Anklet got involved by grabbing her bowling ball and tossing it at Davis, landing on his foot and causing him to scream out in horrifying agony. Stocking went over and punched him a few times in the face. With him pretty much stunned, the other parents got back on him and held him as hard as they could.

But Davis refused to stay still, and burst free again. He threw a kick into Kneesocks’ chest and started to run when the rest of the bowling staff saw the commotion. He barreled his way to the front door, knocking over tables, chairs, and even knocking one of the doors off it’s hinges. Stocking followed behind the staff and the other parents, only to see Davis jump into his awaiting car and drive off in a hurry. He even blindsided a car on the way out.

This was something new to Stocking. Not the violent man…but the feeling she felt.

Fear. This man wanted to inflict great harm upon her family and it was doubtful that the police would get him before he did something horrible…


	28. The Plan Of Action

Despite nearly screwing their company over not too long ago and accepting a lower position, the company did allow Panty to leave work once she received a text from Stocking about Anklet’s near-kidnapping. Panty rushed through all of the shortcuts staying at the max speed limit the entire time. She quickly texted Scanty to be outside so she could be picked up and sent one text to Gee to tell her to take the bus to Stocking’s house. If Panty had her way, she would have dragged Scanty into the car while still moving. Panty did suddenly stop the car in front of Stocking’s house and jumped out without turning off the car. Scanty did that for her before joining her very emotional spouse in Stocking’s house.

“What the heck happened?” Panty thundered, for once remembering not to curse in Stocking’s household.

“Remember the Great Dine-N-Dasher?” Kneesocks got up from her chair. Both Panty and Scanty noticed how Kneesocks had a bandage around her neck and had problems standing up straight. “Yeah, he got in a few shots. I’m fine.” She coughed out, trying to stand in her more formal rigid stance. “Davis White, the Great Dine-N-Dasher. I don’t know how or why he became such a menace…but we got to figure out a plan for him.” She winced and, in a jerky manner, sat back down.

“How bad is she really?” Scanty turned towards Stocking, currently reading a booklet she got from inside the first-aid kit. 

“She’s been choked and kicked in the chest.” Stocking let out with a heavy breath. “We should really take you to a hospital, there might be more damage than there seems to be.”

“I’m fine.” Kneesocks repeated. “I’m worried that Davis will be waiting for us there. We should move somewhere else quickly.” Kneesocks looked down. “He was there at the bowling alley for one of Anklet’s friend’s birthday party. He could already be waiting for us at anyone of our usual places.”

Feeling a bit paranoid, Panty shuffled over to the kitchen window and very slightly peeked out through the covers. Their lawn and the one across the streets looked clear. “Isn’t this guy supposed to be in jail?” Panty asked, still looking around outside.

“His father posted bail for him.” Kneesocks explained. “I checked with the bail office, they confirmed that a George White came in and paid off the quarter-million bail for Davis White. But seeing how his son attacked the district attorney in a attempt to kidnap her daughter, Mr. White just wasted a good deal of money.”

“The police are on it, right?” Panty asked, turning around in a fast fashion.

“Yes.” Kneesock nodded, massaging her neck. “But don’t expect too much. One of the officers sniggered about how I had my ass handed to me by a half-pounding weakling.” She grunted as she lifted her hand off the bandage and then pointed to it. “He tried to strangle me!” She throttled her fist up and down. Stocking would have normally called out the use of a swear, but she remained quiet. She shifted herself out of the kitchen, possibly off to do a chore to calm herself

“Should we get guns?” Panty asked. “If this guy knows where we live, work, and other stuff, we have a right to defend ourselves!” She looked out to the living room. Laying down on the couch was Anklet, wrapped in a blanket and her eyes closed. It wasn’t too long after the encounter, so she was still awake. She must have listened into what the adults were talking about. “I mean…” Panty continued. “Me and Scanty are good with guns…we could teach you.”

“You haven’t used a gun in over a decade.” Kneesocks pointed out. “But still, I already put in a request for a gun license for the two families.” She sighed. “The only question is…who gets the gun?” She looked towards Panty. “I think it would be easier for Scanty to be given the gun. I’m pretty sure that Davis wouldn’t try to come after you at work.”

“Wait, he’s going to be targeting us?” Panty pointed back and forth between herself and Scanty.

“It figures.” Kneesocks rolled her eyes, her patience wearing thin. “He targeted our daughter first…so he will be going after our closest friends and family.”

Scanty gasped. “I need to go and get Gee out of school then!”

“Yes, I should have asked you that first.” Kneesocks admitted, reaching over to grab a glass of ice water. “Sorry, I don’t think I would be able to properly explain everything in a text.” Scanty retrieved the keys from her pocket, surprising Panty slightly. Scanty jumped out of the front door in such a rush, Panty had to go and close the door for her.

“So, what’s the plan?” Panty asked, all aspirated, finally sitting down.

“We need to gather the necessaries.” Kneesocks started to explain following a draw of her glass. “Once we do that, I’ll call for the police and they’ll arrange for a escort. They’ll move us out of town for two weeks while they keep a eye out for Davis. If they find him in that time, we move back the following day.”

“So what happens following the end of the two weeks?” Panty asked.

“We move back.” Kneesocks admitted with a heavy sigh. “The police believe that Davis will only check for us for about two weeks, then he’ll skip town with the heavier police activity. I doubt it…he will come for us, he will hunt us down, and he will hurt us.” Kneesocks sounded like she was going to return the favor to Mr. White. Panty turned a eye towards the living room, where she could see Anklet stir. She heard that.

“So, where are we being placed?” Panty questioned.

“A small town named Hastings. It’s got electricity and running water, but it’s more rural and we will be placed in somewhere close to the middle of the town.” Kneesokcks cleared her throat again. Maybe she should visit a hospital. “Not as big as here…but not too small where we will be noticed.”

“Four of us have cherry-red skin.” Panty dead-panned reminded Kneesocks.

“I said noticed, not stand-out.” 

“All right, elite red-neck town then.” Panty rolled her shoulders. “Two weeks of hay fever, juvenile insults, and bad sexual inneundos.” She bobbed her head up and down for a few seconds before adding, “Well, at least we’re safe from the crazy psycho.”


	29. Open Field Of Fear

Long car trips weren’t Anklet’s things. Oddly, when the family went to the beaches in the east last year, she rather enjoyed the flight. But when it came down to spending several hours bundled up in a stuffy car going at average speeds without complimentary pretzels…Anklet would have preferred walking the eighty miles to Hastings.

But despite her young age, even Anklet knew it was better to not raise her voice about this car trip. In fact, she remained quiet for most of the trip. She didn’t even break out her handheld system and get back into her adventure with her mystical allies. Anklet just looked out the window to the rather boring sight of nature. Same old colors and nothing she hadn’t seen before in a picture book.

At least Gee looked a bit more comfortable. She couldn’t do much on car trips without getting sick, and that includes reading and playing video games. And yet she could keep a small smile on her face. Gee had a leg balanced on top of a cooler carrying cold drinks and a few fruit snacks for the trip. Gee was still cradling her empty juice box absent-mindedly as she too stared out the window to the passing scenery. 

Of course, Gee could feel comfortable in the car because her parents were in it. As Davis’ grudge focused on Kneesocks, both Kneesocks and the police felt it would be safer for Anklet to go with Panty’s family while Stocking staid with Kneesocks to wait for Panty to arrive safely in Hastings. The police wanted to make absolutely sure that Davis wouldn’t follow them. Panty was focused on driving towards their destination and Scanty just stared forward towards the road.

“Hey, you want anything?” Gee asked as she lifted her foot off the cooler lid. Anklet sighed and shook her head. “Okay.” Gee sighed as she lifted the lid up and took out a second box of apple juice. Gee stuck her empty box into the car door pocket, making a mental note to come and get it out once the trip ended. Scanty wouldn’t be too keen about trash being left in the car…plus, given the situation, Gee didn’t want to cause any problems.

“How long do we have to stay?” Anklet asked out loud.

“As little as two weeks.” Panty repeated. “Sorry, kiddo, but with that crazy man after you, we can’t be too sure.”

“Okay.” Anklet meekly replied. Her first-hand experience with the killer at the bowling alley taught her that all of this was necessary. She would miss her friends dearly…and dreaded all the makeup homework she would have to deal with once they came back.

She remained still the rest of the journey. Normally she would pester the driver if they were yet, but Anklet kept quiet.

In what seemed to be a eternity to her, the car finally rolled to a gentle stop. “Yeah, we’re here.” Panty breathed out as she turned the car off and took the keys out of the ignition. “Everyone grab a bag.” She gently ordered as she pressed in the button for the trunk release and then stepped out. Everyone followed suit, crawling out of the car slowly and taking in the surroundings of their temporary living place.

From where they stood, Hastings seemed to be built up of lush green hills. To the west looked to be a small mountain. And to the east were a few scattered buildings of both modern design and some looked to have been around for at least hundred years or more. The usual noises of city traffic were dwarfed by the wind and the scattered fauna. Speaking of the wind, it caught up to the four and blew right in their faces. Panty laid a hand on Scanty’s skirt to keep it from blowing up too high up. While she did want to, this clearly isn’t the time nor place.

Anklet took a good look at the house they were going to be staying at. A two-story white building with the only distinctive feature about it were the small round windows. A few other identical buildings were scattered across the landscape. She grabbed her duffle bag out of the trunk and went inside the house. Again, nothing special about it. A kitchen, living room, a office to the left, and the staircase in the middle. Everything looked simple. She wasn’t expecting to be kept in a fantasy playland…but this place made her feel sleepy.

“All right.” Panty spoke up. “The bedrooms are upstairs. They’re three rooms…one is me and Scanty, the second is for Stocking and Kneesocks, and the last one is for you too.” She pointed up the stairs. “It’s the one at the far of the hall…”

“Why don’t the two of you go and unpack?” Scanty bent down to rustle the two younger girl’s hair. “While you’re doing that, I’ll make something for us to eat.”

“Don’t worry, girls.” Panty added as she opened the cabinet. “There’s some things already here. Chicken dumplings, Gee?” Gee nodded with a nice smile. Panty chucked the can onto the counter…where it actually landed on the flat side. Panty let out a nice little chuckle. “Okay…mashed potatoes?” Panty held up a packet of microwavable mashed potatoes. “Anklet?”

“Sure, yeah.” Anklet grunted out as she ascended up the stairs with her duffle bag. 

Gee figured that something was bothering her half-sister and she followed after her, sending a quick ‘thank you’ to her parents. Gee went up the stairs and found that the second story was just a hallway with the three rooms; one on each side and the one at the end of the hall. The door to the far end was open, meaning that Anklet already made her way inside. Gee walked into the room and found it to be like the rest of the house; no special furniture, just two beds, two dressers, a couch and a coffee table. Anklet was currently unpacking her bag into the dresser. 

“It’s not the most interesting place, huh?” Gee started. 

“Yeah.” Anklet merely responded.

“Actually, I’ve been bathrooms more lively than this place.”

“Yeah.”

“At least we got open fields to play in. Hey! We could start up a new season of mania-ball!”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes, I know I’m saying yeah a lot.” Anklet spoke up as she tossed in a shirt. “But I’m not really in the mood to talk about things.”

“Are you going to miss someone’s birthday party?” Gee asked.

“Not that.” Anklet shook her head. “It’s just…” She took a pause to find the right words. “…I’m afraid.”

“Of that man?”

“Yes…and I just know…that things aren’t going to end well for us.” Anklet looked down to the ground. “…I just know that things are going horribly here.”

“Hey, hey.” Gee comforted her half-sister by snuggling up to her. “It’s going to be fine. Stocking and Kneesocks will be over soon, and we can all eat lunch together. After that…we can play whatever board game you want.”

“Monopoly?”

“Sure.”

“I get the car piece?”

“Yeah.”

“And I can lay claim on Boardwalk?”

“Not a chance!”


	30. Roofspotting

Panty couldn’t help but think back to her time on the farm with Granny as she stood out on the porch of their new house. Tall green grass rustling with the gentle breeze, a vast blue horizon with soft blue clouds hanging about, and the slight smell of wet grass hung in the air, even this late in the evening. Maybe she should go around with a wheat stalk hanging on her lip. 

Deep down, she should be worried about the possible violent attacker coming after her and her family. And knowing how things worked, Davis could very easily pop up at any moment. But Panty put more stock into enjoying this little forced vacation to the great outdoors. Take a chance to not worry about the massive load she had at work and spend some time with the kids. No sense to waste the time they had now spending all day cooped up in the house scared.

…of course, Panty first needed to think of what they should do. Not like they packed anything for outdoor activities or if the house came packed with anything like that. The grounds were too hilly for most of the ball games, and they would need to clear away the tall grass first…and that would defeat the whole purpose of making this a vacation. And the girls already took monopoly on Monopoly. Most of the board games would go out of favor pretty fast too…and it’s not like they didn’t have those at home. They would need something different…something they could only do here without leaving the premises. Grasswork? That’s stupid. Even the nice and demure Scanty would find it boring and pointless.

As the sky darkened into night, Panty looked up. Her eyes were drawn to the roof of their house. She noticed how it had a slight slant to it…not necessarily flat but it looked like one could easily lie down on it…like…

Panty suddenly had a really good idea. Well, the other parents might object to it, but the kids would love it! Panty slowly went back inside and went past her wife talking with her sister about getting groceries tomorrow. Kneesocks had already turned in, having spent most of the day planning the movie. Panty jumped way ahead in her head and decided to go ahead with her plan without even asking Scanty and Stocking.

“Hey kiddos!” Panty announced as she burst right into the kid’s room. Anklet jumped as Gee held the game board down to prevent everything from flying off too far. At least she memorized where the pieces were before hand so she could place them back…unless Anklet argued that her piece laid on Pennsylvania. “I got something we could do before we turn it!”

“Is it allowed?” Gee asked.

“Not that I asked for it, but sure.” Panty shrugged as she slowly walked away back the way she came. “Come on! Follow me outside.” She motioned as she walked downstairs. Gee sighed and followed alongside Anklet all the way outside. When they got outside, they noticed Panty setting up a ladder. Gee arched a eyebrow as to what this was all leading to. Panty properly braced the ladder against the side of the house. “Come on.” Panty told as she started to climb up to the roof.

“Seriously?” Gee sighed. “You do know that Anklet isn’t too keen on heights?”

“Yeah, let’s see how she feels about that after she sees this.” Panty pointed up to the roof. “Come up!” 

Gee looked up at the roof. It looked pretty stable and flat enough to stand on, or do whatever Panty had in mind. And the climb up didn’t look that dangerous; not that high up and the ladder looked plenty sturdy. But that wouldn’t be enough for Anklet. She didn’t fear heights like other kids, she just didn’t like them and preferred to stay on a flat surface. Gee looked back towards Anklet. She looked spooked; both her knees and hands were shaking and Gee could spot some small beads of sweat coming out of her palms.

“Do I have to?” Anklet cried out.

“Nah, just a option.” Panty waved it off as she raised up onto the roof. “But you’re going to miss the show!”

“What show?” Gee huffed. 

“Come on up and see!”

Gee felt like she was being set up for a prank…one that could end so badly if someone were to fall off. And there’s no way that Anklet would get up there, let alone climb up to three step. And Gee had no intention of leaving Anklet alone. But Gee figured that the height didn’t look that high. Maybe it was time for Anklet to conquer her fears of heights? Might as give it a shot.

“It doesn’t look that bad.” Gee said towards Anklet. “I think you could make it up.”

“I…” Anklet gulped.

“Just follow my lead.” Gee told as she walked over to the ladder. Gee placed both of her hands on the supports beams. “Take it…” Gee breathed out as she placed a single foot on the first step. “One step at a time.” Gee actually put into practice what she preached and took only one step on the ladder at a time. Her heart started to beat against her chest a bit faster as she ascended closer to the roof. She anticipated her luck to fail her and send falling to the ground. But she managed to get to the roof and get on it. “Come on, try it.” Gee asked as she looked down to the ground. Yeah, it didn’t look so high. She might bruise herself if she fell.

Anklet sucked her lips in like she bit into a lemon. But, for whatever reason, she stumbled over to the ladder and latched her claws onto the supports, holding onto them like she were glued to it. She slowly lifted her left leg up onto the first step and pressed down on it. Anklet froze. She didn’t think she had it within her to any further. 

Gee noticed how much trouble Anklet was having, so she stuck her hand downward. “Come on.” She called out. “Grab my hand.” Gee felt Panty’s hands grabbing onto her sides, for support. “We got you.”

Anklet looked up and spotted the hand. Taking a deep gulp to steady her nervous heartbeat, she scooted her hands up the railings and gingerly took each step one at a time. Anklet squeezed her eyes shut as she rose up the ladder while trying to not think about what was going on. It didn’t take her as long as she thought it would take, she ended up brushing her hand against Gee’s hand. Anklet opened her eyes to the side of the house before slowly looking up at the hand. With her right particularly attached to the rail, she reached her left hand up and grasped Gee’s.

Gee breathed a sigh of relief as she helped Anklet get up to the roof. “So!” She asked towards Panty. “What’s the show?”

“Lie on your backs and look up.” Panty breathed out as she did the same with her hands behind her head. Gee made sure that Anklet had settled on the roof before doing the same…and taking in the beautiful night sky. In the city, they couldn’t see something like this due to the smog of the modern day city. But out here? Away from city, the stars could be seen past the usual clouds of smog. And what stars! Gee could clearly identify the Ursa Major and Libra constellations, having just learnt about that in class. The others would come to her soon.

“Not often you get to see this, huh?” Panty whistled. “Not that interesting I admit, but I figured that at least one of you would be interested.”

“Yeah…” Anklet trailed off as she took the sight. She never had seen stars in such detail before, or at least as far back as she could recall. Regardless of her faint interest in what laid beyond her world, it did allow her to get past her fears of heights temporarily. 

But Gee? She couldn’t take her eyes off the starry sky. The names of the constellations flowed through her head as she stared at every star and got to work identify each and every one. Gee never put really put thought into astrology, but now it came naturally to her. The names and positions of the various heavenly bodies that shined from thousands of lightyears away. Gee did recall that she spent a entire study session in a library skimming through books on astrology for no real reason; she went in there to prepare for a chemistry exam.

The next thoughts that went through her mind were the possibilities of interdimensional space travel.

Panty looked over to her daughter and noticed how her face had become frozen in silent delight. Well, it looks like this worked out just fine! Anklet was getting used to heights and it looks like Gee had gained a new interest.

Now the problem came in the form of getting back down to the ground. As it turns out, neither child weren’t too keen on descending. The glares from both Stocking and Kneesocks made Panty prefer taking the fast way down off the roof.


	31. A Day About The Town

There would only be one day that the family would be allowed to go out into town, into public. It would be one day for the two families to go out and enjoy some air away from the house. With police survelliance of course. Word is that Davis had returned to his roots as a dine-n-dasher at a diner in a town only three miles away, so he must have skipped town early.

“In a sense, we are bait.” Panty commented as she took off her sunglasses to wipe them off. 

“I don’t know where Davis got these skills to be so elusive!” Kneesocks exclaimed, throwing her arms up. “But if he left town already, he may have caught on that we left town.”

“Really.” Panty sighed as she shoved her glasses back on. “Six girls with wild colored hair and four with red skin go missing from town one day.” She shook her head. “Kinda hard to NOT notice.”

“Davis is far more dangerous than I thought.” Kneesocks started to wring her hands out. “Maybe it’s time we moved again, somewhere further away…”

“Nah.” Panty shook her head. “He’ll keep following us until he gets his revenge. We could go into another country to avoid him, and he’ll still be right there, hot on our tails the entire time.” Panty looked over to Kneesocks. “So, I think it’s time we go and get those guns we talked about.”

Kneesocks sniffed. “Yes, we have the permits. But I’m not feeling too confident about having a gun around the kids. Sorry, it’s always been a thing; we even had safety guards on the kitchen knives up to two years ago.” But she still walked over to the desk and opened up a drawer. “We only need one gun, right?” Panty took a second before nodding yes. “Alright.” Kneesocks took a deep breath before handing over the permit. “There’s a gun store in town, sells mostly hunting tools. But they should have at least one pistol suitable to you.”

“Alright.” Panty tapped on her sunglasses. “I’ll go ahead and grab a piece, take it back home and meet you guys at the museum in the central square area. Already saw the movie with the board.” She whistled as she headed out of the house. 

Kneesocks couldn’t make herself comfortable during the entire time they were out in town. It weren’t the plain-clothes officers hanging around or the eternal dread of a psychotic maniac hunting her and her family down. She couldn’t really put a finger on it. The movie they saw actually greatly entertained her and the concessions were actual food handled by someone who knew how to handle food without having a zit fall into the bucket of popcorn. 

But she fidgeted in her chair the entire time.

The local museum all about the history of the town and farming in general sounded like a bad idea at first, but the entire place had, like, quality to it. For starters, for a town constantly baked by the sun, the museum had a strong air-conditioning unit that kept the entire place cool 24/7. And even Missus ‘I-Loathe-Museums’ Gee took delight in the displays of the settlers in patchwork clothes cutting down foliage with rusty tools. Possibly a result of her star-gazing dreams, but she still read and listened to every exhibit possible.

But Kneesocks couldn’t find herself enjoying anything, not even the display talking about how the original judges employed a ‘life or death’ law system.

And the restaurant they went to? All the food came in the morning, delivered from the farms. The Barn Table had the freshest food the two families ever had. Anklet even asked out loud, to a waiter, if there’s a chicken and a cow outback! Anklet had a cheese omelet, Gee and Scanty tackled a double hamburger, (Minus tomatoes for both, minus lettuce for Gee) Stocking kept to a small salad, (As she wanted to gorge herself on some ‘small-town candy’ later) and Kneesocks dined on a small steak.

Out of all the tiny bites she had of it, it tasted pretty good. Better than most of the steaks she had to share with the important people on the city council after a big case. But she couldn’t actually like it.

“You don’t look like you’re having fun.” Stocking pinched Kneesocks’ cheek while the others were washing up in the restaurant’s room. “You could ask Mister Obvious over there to keep a few feet back…” Stocking pointed behind her towards the brown-suited, black-tie man in sunglasses leaning against a wall holding a hotdog. “I bet the hotdog cost more than a appetizer here.” 

“It’s not the police presence.” Kneesocks shook. “It’s just…something.”

“Something?”

“Something I can’t put into words.” Kneesocks sighed. “I mean, I did have had fun. Really. Enjoyed the movie, the museum and the good. Honestly.” She held up a hand. “And the town is lovely too. Would live here if we had a better house.”

“And if Anklet doesn’t develop hay fever.” Stocking admitted. 

“If I don’t develop hay fever.” Kneesocks sniffed.

They went quiet for the rest of the time the other girls were in the restroom. Stocking kept herself close to Kneesocks the way towards the ice cream shop in the center square, the last stop of the day. 

“They have carrot!” Anklet cheered with as she rapped her finger against the plastic cover of the menu board.

“This town is obsessed with farm produce.” Panty sighed as she dug out her card.

So Anklet got her carrot-flavored ice cream, Gee got a single scoop chocolate fudge, Panty picked out a caramel-topped strawberry dish (Just like my wife, Panty commented to the vendor), Kneesocks bought a raspberry ice cream dish with tons of fruit, and Stocking…almost bought the entire shop. Panty had to hold her sister back. So Stocking just accepted a quad-scoop of chocolate, strawberry, vanilla and chocostrawilla.

“What’s the word for six but like for six?” Gee asked.

“Sextuple.” Kneesocks spoke up. “And yes, you may use it despite the first three words.”

“So she got sextuple scoops.” Gee pointed to Stocking as she dug into what technically counted as six scoops.

“How come none of you haven’t figured out that I have a sweet tooth?” Stocking giggled as she lifted up her spoon to take a huge bite of chocostrawilla with chocolate, strawberry and vanilla. 

Right before the bowl got knocked out of her hands and splattered on the ground.

The perpetrator was a middle-aged lady in thick leather clothes that had seen better days, common of the homeless seen around the parts. She seemed to be perplexed, stumbling around the place and not even brushing off the cold lumps of ice cream hanging onto her shirt. While Stocking panicked more over her loss of a treat, the homeless lady turned towards the others. “Red!” She spat out.

“Huh?” Panty raised a eyebrow.

“Red!” The lady pointed towards Scanty and Kneesocks.

“Huh.” Panty repeated with a more subdued tone. “It’s been a while since people commented on your skin…”

“Red!” The lady yelled out loud before pulling out a switchblade and roared towards the demons. Panty tackled the homeless lady down to the ground where thankfully the knife fell out of her hands. The homeless lady screamed like a banshee as Panty held her down. The plain-clothes cop ran over and quickly helped Panty up while keeping the would-be assassin down.

“What’s going on?” Gee shrieked. 

“We’re going home.” Another cop came up and directed them towards a nearby car. Stocking quickly abandoned her ice cream and joined up with her family as they climbed into the car.

Davis had sent a assassin. He’s getting closer.


End file.
